In 75-65 win over N.C. State, 'battle-tested' UNC men's basketball sees improvement

RALEIGH — At some point, you’ve got to grab the roses.

UNC head coach Roy Williams came to that realization after his Tar Heels fell to Virginia Tech last week in excruciating double-overtime fashion.

That loss — at the time, UNC’s fifth in the row and sixth in the ACC — was, at its core, just that: a loss.

But in experimenting with ways to motivate his players, Williams said he made a deliberate effort after that game, and in the following days, to glean something, anything, out of a losing streak the likes of which predated his UNC tenure.

A few improvements on defense. Improved intensity. More togetherness. He found bright spots. He verbalized them. He grabbed the proverbial roses and extended them to this 2019 roster.

“We’re trying to give them some confidence,” Williams said.

In performing his best “The Bachelor” impersonation, he’s inspired just that. After grinding out a 75-65 win at N.C. State on Monday night, the Tar Heels have won consecutive games for the first time since late December and reached the .500 mark at 10-10.

And North Carolina’s players, mulling around the upbeat visitor’s locker room at PNC Arena, said it’s more than just the results. 

The team’s five “character-building” losses, as Leaky Black called them, plus these two wins — against Miami on Saturday, and now the Wolfpack — have culminated in a new sense of togetherness. Of refreshment, of confidence.

Here’s first-year Armando Bacot, on the win: “We’re more battle-tested than them. They’re a great team, but I just feel like I knew we were going to win.”

And junior Garrison Brooks, on his team-high 25 points: “I'm just having fun.”

And junior Andrew Platek, on some Wolfpack fans he said crossed a line with pregame comments: “It was awesome to shut them up.”

The 10-point win wasn’t flawless — Williams and co. all volunteered that. But, in many of the same situations the Tar Heels have faltered in this season, they found success against the Wolfpack.

Take, for example, N.C. State’s various runs throughout the game. Late in the first half, the Wolfpack scored six straight to take a 31-30 lead at the under-four media timeout.

North Carolina’s response? Nine points in the final 1:30 of the half — including a Bacot layup and a Brooks putback off his teammate’s missed free throw in the final five seconds — to take a 39-35 lead.

“We’re playing a lot better,” Brooks said. “More together.”

When N.C. State clawed back to within 53-50, UNC’s two grad transfers, guard Christian Keeling and forward Justin Pierce, combined for seven quick points. When the Wolfpack got it to 65-61, Platek and Bacot promptly scored six straight to get the lead back to 10. And when UNC needed close out the game with free throws, a hobbled Brandon Robinson made four of them.

“It’s the perfect time for everybody to be playing good,” Bacot said.

That theme of starting to peak at the right time — if one can peak midway through conference play, that is — was evident among players. Brooks, for one, said teammates are “really picking up the pace of how they're playing." Reserve guard K.J. Smith got compliments for his role in the aforementioned run before halftime, as did Black (11 points, seven rebounds) for his manning of the point guard position.

“I think they're understanding a little about how intense you have to be to play in this league at this level,” Williams said.

On Monday night, that improvement looked tangible for a team whose NCAA Tournament chances could sorely use it.

@chapelfowler

@DTHSports | sports@dailytarheel.com