Carolina Starts Rivalry Week By Hosting NC State
North Carolina starts the rivalry game portion of its schedule with a home game against NC State on Saturday afternoon, one week ahead of the first UNC-Duke showdown, in the same location.
The Tar Heels have won two straight, both at home, over Virginia Tech and Boston College, to turn around a bad stretch that saw Carolina lose back-to-back games by more than 20 points.
The Wolfpack are looking to turn around a tough start to the conference schedule. State is 10-11, 3-7 in conference and has lost nine of the last 12. State has been hampered by a season ending injury to big man Manny Bates early in the season and has not been able to match up inside. That doesn’t bode well for the Pack with Armando Bacot patrolling the middle for Carolina and turning in a streak of 10 straight double-doubles that ended last game.
Carolina will be honoring former coach Roy Williams at the game, appropriate since Carolina was nearly unbeatable against the Wolfpack while Williams was coach.
The officials for today’s agme are Ted Valentine, Jerry Heater and Mark Schnur.
State will start Terquavion Smith, Dereon Seabron, Casey Morsell, Jericole Hellems and Ebenezer Dowuona.
Dowuona will be giving up 15 pounds to Bacot, according to the published weights, although the eye test indicates that the difference is larger than that.
Carolina starts Leaky Black, Caleb Love, RJ Davis, Armando Bacot and Brady Manek.
Dawson Garcia is still not with the team after leaving a week ago due to an illness in the family.
State was on the floor in position for the tip at least a full minute before UNC. Heels stayed in the huddle with Hubert Davis a long time.
Hot start for the Heels. Caleb Love will go to the line for an and one after the under 16 time out, with UNC up 16-7. Love with eight early points. UNC has hit six of seven shots.
At the under 12, UNC has found a cruising altitude, leading State by eight and going to the line, 19-11.
Carolina is 6-of-8 from three and pulls ahead by 16, 32-16. Manek hits from deep to make it 7-of-9. Carolina up by 20. State in danger of getting boat raced as Puff Johnson knocks down a three (8 of 10). 40-19 Heels.
State gets a three to make the margin 40-22 at the under 8.
Brady Manek hits. He's 4-of-5 from there. UNC is 10-of-14 from deep. Lead is 52-28 at the under four.
Just an absolute curb stomping in the first half. Lead reached 28 in the final minute. We hit the half with UNC up 56-31.
Roy Williams gets a banner in the rafters at halftime & says, "Let's beat these guys in red a helluva lot more"
Davis with a layup, Love with a steal and three. Lead grows to 33, 70-37. Time out NC State. 15:28 left.
Michael Jordan and the rest of the 1981-82 national championship team take the court to get honored at the under 16 time out.
State throws a bullet pass out of bounds to take us to the under 12. UNC still up by 30, 75-45
State has cut the lead to 28, 81-53 as we head to the under 8. Carolina has hung 100 on State five times. Could be headed for number 6
The last five UNC coaches have all won their first game against NC State, dating back to Frank McGuire. Davis will be the sixth in a row.
Jackson Watkins hits a free throw to put UNC at 100. UNC hits a three to cut the final margin to 20. UNC dribbles out a 100-80 win over the Pack.
