Theo Pinson scores first field goal in fantastic fashion as UNC men's basketball defeats Florida State

It took Theo Pinson more than two and a half games to record his first field goal of the 2016-17 season. But for the No. 11 North Carolina men's basketball team, it was well worth the wait.

After No. 9 Florida State cut Saturday's matchup between the two teams to 80-76 with less than six minutes left, the junior wing went to work. He brought in a rebound on a missed free throw, dribbled past half court, zoomed by Jonathan Isaac and toward the basket.

Two steps inside the 3-point line, he took flight.

"When I took off I was like, it felt like I was floating a little bit, like I was like gliding to the basket," Pinson said. "And then when I dunked it, I was like, 'Did it go through?'"

Pinson's quandary was almost immediately answered, as 22,000 strong unleashed a chorus of cheers that had the Smith Center at its loudest all day. Florida State called a timeout on its next possession to regroup, but by then it was too late. The junior gave the momentum to North Carolina, and the Tar Heels were able to keep it for the remainder of their 96-83 win.

Pinson finished in double figures for the first time all season and added a career-high 10 rebounds against the Seminoles (16-2, 4-1 ACC). But for his biggest impact on the game, you'd have to look late in the first half.

The Tar Heels (16-3, 4-1 ACC) came out of the under-4 timeout with all three of their big men — Isaiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks and Luke Maye — on the bench with two fouls. That meant Pinson had to occupy the center position in an ultra-small lineup. He also had to guard 7-foot-1, 304-pound Michael Ojo down low.

"I'm glad I wasn't down there guarding him, because that's a big guy," said junior guard Joel Berry. "But he did a great job on him ... And all you can do is just compete in that situation, and that's what Theo did."

Ojo got the best of Pinson in their first encounter, sending his comparatively tiny 6-foot-6, 211-pound frame crashing to the floor on the way to a made basket.

But that was the last time the Seminoles scored in the first half. While its goal might have been to just hold on to a lead at the break, North Carolina extended the margin to 50-41. Pinson entered the locker room with seven rebounds in just 11 minutes of action.

"(Florida State's players) were huge," said Justin Jackson, who played power forward in the small lineup. "And so we tried our best to stay out in front. And whenever a shot went up, (we were) just trying to go and get a man. And I think for however long we were in there as the four and five, I don't think they got a single offensive rebound .. So yeah that was really big for us."

It's a side North Carolina fans rarely notice from Pinson, as stretches like those that ended the first half are often lost amid the high-flying dunks and sideline dancing. But for every assault on the rim and flashy assist, there's often a dive on the floor or a big rebound that carries equal weight.

It's something Pinson prides himself in — the little things. And it's something he would have rather begun doing back in November, when North Carolina started its season. Instead, a broken bone in his foot kept him on the sidelines for the first two months of the season. 

It might have taken Pinson 16 games to see the floor and two and a half more to record his first field goal. But after all the pain and the disappointment, it's all starting to come together.

"I understood that it was next man up and I needed to play big time minutes in big time games ..." he said. "And my parents, my parents were really upset. They knew how much work I put in and I just felt like ... I don't want to say I let them down, but they were looking forward to the season really a lot, and I was too."

"But it was all worth it now after a game like that."

@jbo_vernon

sports@dailytarheel.com