No. 11 UNC men's basketball defeats Wake Forest, 93-87

WINSTON-SALEM — The No. 11 North Carolina (15-3, 3-1 ACC) men's basketball defeated Wake Forest, 93-87, on Wednesday night in the Lawrence Joel Coliseum.

What happened?

Wake Forest (10-7, 1-4 ACC) took control of the game early on, jumping out to an 11-4 lead. But the Tar Heels connected five minutes in, claiming a 49-34 halftime lead behind a solid rebounding effort while shooting 53.1 percent from the field.

Tony Bradley hit his head on the floor when going for the ball with 3:39 left in the half and crumpled on the court, holding his face. According to a UNC official, Bradley was experiencing concussion-like symptoms and will be seen by a doctor. Bradley did not return to the game.

At the time, it seemed like UNC could get by without Bradley. Hicks went the entire first half without fouling, and Meeks and Maye also dodged serious foul trouble in the first half.

But just over five minutes into the second half, Hicks committed three fouls and Meeks and Maye extended their foul totals to three and four, respectively.

With the Tar Heels weakened by the flood of fouls, Wake Forest pounced at the opportunity. As North Carolina struggled through a 3 1/2-minute scoring drought, the Demon Deacons clawed at the lead, going on a 15-4 run after Hicks' third foul to pull within one.

With eight minutes to play, Meeks made a layup to break UNC's scoring drought, and Joel Berry followed with a 3-pointer to restore the Tar Heels' decent-sized lead. From there, UNC narrowly held on.

But with less than five minutes remaining, Wake Forest took the momentum again, chipping at the lead until Wake Forest's Brandon Childress turned a Kenny Williams turnover into a quick layup to pull the Demon Deacons within three.

Still, UNC held onto the lead, relying on strong shooting from Britt and others to edge past the Demon Deacons. 

Who stood out?

Joel Berry got UNC out of trouble by taking charge of the scoring effort. He ended the night with 18 points and seven assists, and his consistency proved crucial down the stretch when UNC's frontcourt was limited. But even Berry was not immune to the foul trouble, picking up four in the game.

Isaiah Hicks was explosive in the first half, recording eight points, five rebounds, a block, a steal and no fouls. While he was instrumental for UNC in the first half, Hicks faltered down the stretch, picking up four fouls in the second half.

When was it decided?

With North Carolina's collective foul trouble, it seemed like Wake Forest had the chance to pull an upset. But the Tar Heels won the game through offensive efficiency. UNC shot 51.6 percent, and because the Tar Heels were successful at the basket, they managed to walk away with the tight win.

When Nate Britt sank a three and drew a foul with about a minute remaining, UNC started to take back the momentum. With the clock winding down, UNC's big men stepped up with strong defense to hold off Wake Forest.

Why does it matter?

If the Tar Heels hoped to maintain dominance in the ACC, tonight was a must-win — especially because UNC has already dropped a conference matchup to Georgia Tech. While the ACC is a notoriously challenging conference, Wake Forest was an opponent UNC shouldn't have had much difficulty defeating. While it is concerning for North Carolina that the game was so close, adding another ACC win is crucial as the team prepares to face tougher opponents.

Where do they play next?

The Tar Heels host Florida State on Saturday at 2 p.m.

@rblakerich_

sports@dailytarheel.com