UNC gets the season sweep with an 84-74 win at NC State
Posted February 26, 2022 3:03 p.m. EST
Updated February 27, 2022 6:11 a.m. EST
 North Carolina Tar Heels |
84 |
 North Carolina State Wolfpack |
74 |
| Final | |
The first time UNC and NC State played, the Tar Heels put the game out of reach early.
It was more of the same in the second meeting as UNC (21-8, 13-5 ACC) won 84-74 at PNC Arena in a game that was not that close.
Carolina started the game on a 24-5 run and NC State (11-18, 4-14 ACC) started out 2 of 13 shooting.
The Tar Heels would go on a field goal drought of over four minutes but in that stretch, NC State could only get within 13.
NC State would cut it to 13 points a few more times, including after a Jericole Hellems jumper with 4:31 to go. But then UNC senior and premier perimeter defender Leaky Black went out with a non-contact knee injury. He did not return.
UNC updated Black's status before the second half began, saying that he hyper-extended his right knee and would try to return. But they provided another update shortly into the second half:
The closest NC State got in the first half was 9 points after Casey Morsell jumper, but UNC went on an 8-0 run to stretch it back out to 17 with 2:03 to go. State would get no closer. The margin at half was 17 points.
Armando Bacot had his 22nd double-double of the season by halftime and finished with 28 points, 18 rebounds, two steals and five blocks. It was the first 20-point, 15-rebound and 5-block game in UNC history.
UNC out-scored NC State in the paint 44-28 and out-rebounded the Wolfpack 46-25.
The second half saw NC State get within 11 early, but Bacot scored nine of the next 11 points on an 11-0 UNC run to stretch the lead to 22 points 15:15 to go.
The lead ranged anywhere from 13 to 20 points the rest of the way. UNC led by 19 with 2:19 to go before NC State scored the final nine points.
NC State shot nearly 49% in the second half but not quite 26% in the first. NC State's defense was also able to bother UNC by going to a zone and a press, but it was too little, too late.
Dereon Seabron, NC State's leading scorer, had just two points in the first meeting between the two teams in Chapel Hill on 1 of 6 shooting. He had just three in the first half on 1 of 7 shooting but ended with 11 on 5 of 12 shooting after Black's injury.
Bacot's 28 led all scorers, with Brady Manek had 16 points (14 of which came in the first half) and Caleb Love added 16. Puff Johnson had a career-high 16 points on 4 of 9 shooting to go with five rebounds.
Terquavion Smith had 37 points in his first game against UNC, and he led NC State with 20 in this one but 15 of those came in the second half. Cam Hayes, who'd been struggling with his shot, had 16 points on 5 of 11 shooting and was 4 of 5 from 3. Hellems added 11.
Next up for NC State is a trip to Wake Forest on Wednesday night. Carolina will host Syracuse in its final home game of the season on Monday.
