WINSTON-SALEM — With about four minutes to play in North Carolina’s game at Wake Forest, Will Graves looked up at a scoreboard and saw the improbable — a double-digit lead for UNC.
“At first I thought, ‘Thank you,’” Graves said. “Then I was like, ‘Now it’s time to buckle down.’”
Those sentiments haven’t been spoken in some time for this UNC team (15-14, 4-10 ACC), which snapped a three-game losing skid with a 77-68 win at Wake Forest on Saturday.
The win resurrects postseason hopes for the Tar Heels. If UNC wins one of its last two games against Miami and at Duke, the Tar Heels will finish better than .500. That means a likely invite to the NIT, maybe even as a host.
“We were extremely lucky,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “I was really proud of our team. Everyone who got into the game scored.”
It didn’t look like the same team that free-fell to the bottom of the ACC.
These players were young and feisty. They screamed and hit the floor for loose balls. They played lockdown defense, holding the Demon Deacons to 29.7 percent shooting from the floor. They showed emotion, even happiness, that was few and far between in the last few months.
Heck, John Henson even broke out a fist pump, something North Carolina hasn’t seen in weeks.
“When you play smart, play hard and play with passion, it’s always fun,” Henson said.
Maybe it was the reality that the NCAA tournament is a lost cause with 10 losses in the ACC. Maybe it was the knowledge that there are only two games left in the regular season. Either way, UNC came out relaxed and aggressive.
“When you play cautious, and think about the score, that’s when things go wrong,” Graves, who finished with 13 points, said.
The win was UNC’s 1,999th all-time, and when the Tar Heels take on Miami on Tuesday, they will try for the program’s 2,000th win on Senior Night.
“Just being a part of that, all the history,” Graves said. “I can’t imagine how I’m going to feel.”
UNC built up a 10-point lead with 7:18 to play in the game, held off a late Wake Forest charge and never trailed by more than four. Freshman Leslie McDonald came off the bench to score a game-high 16 points out of nowhere.
And that came against a Demon Deacon team that, coming into the game, stood tied for third place in the ACC.
Henson led the defensive effort. The lanky freshman rejected five shots while taking on one of the most physical front courts in the ACC — Al-Farouq Aminu, Chas McFarland and Tony Woods. The trio combined for just 17 points.
“John was big,” Williams said. “He made some moves around the basket.”
On the perimeter, Wake’s transition game and lightning-quick point guard Ishmael Smith couldn’t get off the ground, stymied by Larry Drew II and Dexter Strickland. Smith finished with 12 points and seven assists, but also shot 5-for-21.
Drew, on the other hand, finished with 10 points, eight assists and three turnovers.
UNC also led the Demon Deacons in rebounding — something the Tar Heels haven’t done in their last three games. Both Henson and Marcus Ginyard had double-digit rebounds. Henson pulled down five offensive boards on the day, and Ginyard hauled in 13 boards — a career-high for him.
“It felt really good,” Ginyard said. “I’ve been trying to get involved on the boards, because that’s how you get involved in the game.”
The Tar Heels did have to weather a late run from Wake Forest as Drew missed six free throws in the final three minutes, and Wake Forest closed to within three with less than a minute to play.
But Strickland found McDonald for a fast-break layup, Drew sank his next two free throws, and UNC was resilient enough for the win.
“We found our poise tonight and didn’t let a 5-0 run affect us,” Ginyard said.
Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.
