The No. 17 North Carolina men's basketball team's (5-3, 0-1 ACC) second-half surge was not enough on Tuesday night as they lost to the North Carolina State Wolfpack (5-1, 1-0 ACC) in Raleigh, 79-76. The game ended a five-game UNC winning streak against the Wolfpack as the Tar Heels lost their first ACC game of the season.
What happened?
First-year guard RJ Davis struck first for North Carolina, but despite the early basket, the Tar Heels still started slow, with three early turnovers affecting their offensive flow.
Despite a sluggish start on offense, the Tar Heels kept the game close early with solid defense, including two blocks from starting big men in sophomore Armando Bacot and senior Garrison Brooks.
Even with a staunch defensive effort in the paint early on, head coach Roy Williams' men continued to struggle defending shots beyond the arc. When Davis brought UNC level with the Wolfpack five minutes into the game, the team from Raleigh turned on the jets. N.C. State guard Shakeel Moore finished an 8-0 run with a dunk after a Davis turnover. N.C. State ultimately finished the half shooting 66.7 percent from 3-point range — a testament to the team's scoring prowess.
The Tar Heels continued to struggle to possess the ball, giving up seven turnovers by the middle of the first half and going into a double-digit scoring hole. After continued offensive struggles, UNC scored seven straight points to end the half on a 11-3 run, reducing the deficit to just seven at the break.
UNC started the second half quickly with early offense in the paint, pulling within one of N.C. State. The Wolfpack responded with a subsequent 14-2 run to stretch its lead back to 13.
North Carolina made it a game of streaks, responding with a high-scoring run of its own to bring the teams within four points in the final minutes of the game.
Despite a late run, the Tar Heels were unable to complete a comeback after shots by Davis and fellow first-year guard Caleb Love fell short at the buzzer.
