Shooting woes, miscommunication keep a UNC win over Boston College out of reach
Head Coach Roy Williams pauses during the game against Boston College in the Smith Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. UNC lost to Boston College 71-70.
Hope.
You could feel it in the Dean E. Smith Center when first-year guard Cole Anthony stepped onto the court for the first time since December. Life filled the building as fans gave him a standing ovation. As for the rest of the North Carolina men’s basketball team, energy flowed as the guard started to get back into game rhythm.
“With the fans going crazy, it just amps you up, gives you adrenaline,” first-year forward Armando Bacot said. “You just want to get a steal, get a dunk, get something just to keep them going crazy.”
In those first moments, hope energized the crowd and the team, as a third consecutive ACC win seemed to be within reach.
But that moment of hope and energy was fleeting, like all of UNC’s leads on Saturday night. There were flashy plays throughout the evening that kept the fans on the edge of their seats, bringing the arena to their feet at times. But it came down to shooting woes and a faulty final possession as the Tar Heels fell to Boston College, 71-70.
“North Carolina shot 36 percent,” head coach Roy Williams said. “That’s about what we shoot all freaking year.”
UNC's men's basketball coach Roy Williams speaks to press members after the game against Boston College in the Smith Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. UNC fell to Boston College by just one point in the last minutes of the game, making the final score 71-70.
In the first half alone, UNC shot 30 percent from the floor and 12.5 percent from 3-point range. Senior guard Brandon Robinson, who later went down in the final few possessions of the game with an ankle injury, made the only 3-pointer for the Tar Heels in the first half. Anthony scored six points, all at the free throw line.
Bacot and junior forward Garrison Brooks dominated the opening possessions for UNC. But once Anthony, who came off the bench, stepped onto the court, the big men's aggressive nature stalled.
“Me and Garrison, we got stagnant again, just watching,” Bacot said. “As far as posting up and giving Cole other options, we were just kind of leaving it all up to him, and it’s kind of unfair to him.”
What kept North Carolina in the game was its ability to score off turnovers and second chances. At half, UNC was only trailing 32-30.
UNC's senior guard Brandon Robinson (4) lays in pain after an injury during a game against Boston College in the Smith Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. UNC fell to Boston College by just one point in the last minutes of the game, making the final score 71-70.
In the end, it came down to the last two possessions: the first leading to a foul, an injured Robinson and BC free throws, the second being hurt by simple miscommunication.
On the final play, the Eagles decided to play zone, putting UNC out of sorts and leading to a contested Anthony three-pointer that airballed.
“This is something silly,” Williams said, “but this week we stopped practice one day and said, ‘If it’s a one-point game and the score is tied, we’re going to attack the basket….’ I wanted to get somebody to get the ball inside. I wanted to attack.
“I wanted to set an early screen. Cole was trying to get Garrison to come up and there was a miscommunication. We settled for a terrible shot.”
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UNC's freshman guard Cole Anthony (2) speaks to members of the press after a game against Boston College in the Smith Center on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. UNC fell to Boston College by just one point in the last minutes of the game, making the final score 71-70.
Just like that, the energy and hope were gone. Silence fell over the Dean E. Smith Center as fans quickly filed out and the team ran to the locker rooms, hurting after the tight loss. When it was all said and done, the fans’ hope ultimately kept UNC in the game, giving the team the energy they needed as they adjusted their offense to having Anthony back on the court.
“At the end of the game, it got really loud, probably one of the loudest times I’ve heard it in here,” Platek said. “...It was big because we had a chance to win at the end, and that was very much so due to the fans.”
