UNC men's basketball completes second-half comeback to earn first top-25 win

NEW YORK — Elliot Cadeau laid flat on his chest on the hardwood. He stayed there for several minutes. 

A part of him was grimacing in pain from being thrown to the ground in the scuffle for the game-sealing rebound. But somewhere underneath the bruising was elation. Relief. 

It was UNC that came up with the rebound. It was North Carolina walking away with its first top-25 win of the season. 

Cadeau took a while to stand up, but his teammates gathered around him. They walked to the opposite end to watch first-year forward Drake Powell take the final two free throws with 0.1 seconds on the clock. There were some smiles. Others masked their emotions to stay focused. But when the buzzer sounded, there was no need to hide it anymore. 

“We really, really needed this game,” Cadeau said. 

UNC overcame a 16-point deficit to defeat No. 18 UCLA, 76-74, in Saturday’s CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden. North Carolina scored 12 more points in the second half than it did in the first to complete the comeback, securing a coveted Quad 1 win after previously going 0-4 against ranked opponents this year. 

It didn’t matter that North Carolina committed 18 turnovers. It didn’t matter that UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau and Sebastian Mack combined for 48 points. It didn’t matter that the Tar Heels had fallen into a double-digit deficit for the seventh time this season. 

The pieces came together.

It started with first-year guard Ian Jackson. His team-leading 24-point performance — 11 of which came during the second half push — kept the Tar Heels in the game. 

To junior guard Seth Trimble, it was a stark contrast to Jackson’s first appearance in a UNC uniform against Memphis. In October, the first-year was timid in his attacks. He lacked confidence. He went 0-4 from three and his only two points came from the free throw line. 

On Saturday, he went 8-13 from the field. 

“I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself. I’ve always had that, but my teammates definitely put it over the top today,” Jackson said. “They helped me.”

Next was an offensive rebound with a minute and a half to go. Junior forward Jalen Washington recovered Trimble’s missed 3-pointer for a layup to tie the score, 72-72. 

UNC has recovered from a double-digit deficit to retake the lead five times this year. The Tar Heels have only completed the comeback twice.

They’ve been out-rebounded on the offensive glass in the last four comeback attempts. But on Saturday, it was UNC that secured more second-chance opportunities. And it was Washington’s offensive rebound that kept the team alive. 

In the final minute, graduate guard RJ Davis was sent to the line twice. On the first trip, he had a chance to tie it. Instead, he went 1-2. North Carolina was down by one. 

Only a few seconds later, Trimble punched the ball out as UCLA attempted to inbound inside UNC territory.

“I like to think of myself as a decent defender, so I feel like I’m able to see a lot of open gaps and a lot of reads that everybody may not see,” Trimble said. “So I just took a risk.”

It hit off a UCLA player’s leg. Turnover. Back in UNC’s possession. All of which led to RJ Davis back at the line — a chance to not only tie it, but also take the lead. 

This time, RJ Davis cleared his mind. Steadied himself. 

He swished in the first.

Onto the next. The graduate guard took a breath. 

“[I] just told myself I was going to knock it down,” he said. “I visualized it before I got the ball that I was going to knock it down.” 

He released. The ball found the net. North Carolina’s first lead of the game since its opening basket. 

There was only one last piece. One more stop for the Tar Heels to win it. 

UCLA called a timeout with 10 seconds left. Head coach Hubert Davis reminded the team they’d been in this situation before. In the past, they didn’t box out or get the final stop to close it out. It cost them. 

Cadeau switched with Trimble to guard Mack one-on-one. The UCLA guard tried to drive through the lane. Cadeau battled back. Mack threw up a last-second hook-shot. It bounced off the rim. Four Tar Heels closed in around the basket to box out and rebound. 

Cadeau got a hand on the ball before he crashed to the ground in the scrum. Just enough to allow Powell to grab it. 

“It was a huge sigh of relief that we were able to close out, get it stopped,” Trimble said. “We didn’t get lucky. They didn’t get a good shot up.”

On Tuesday, Cadeau walked to the locker room following the 90-84 loss to No. 7 Florida — another comeback that had fallen short. Tears clouded his eyes. He hid his face in his jersey. 

Then came Saturday. Cadeau got up off the ground. Trimble ran to his side and praised him. They hugged. Cadeau smiled. 

Comeback complete.

@carolinewills03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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