The North Carolina men's basketball team (16-11, 9-6 ACC) trounced the N.C. State Wolfpack (10-16, 3-12 ACC), 97-73, on Wednesday night at the Dean E. Smith Center, in a game that was never really close.
UNC scored 54 first half points and never let its foot off the gas. Graduate guard RJ Davis led all Tar Heels with 21 points on 6-18 shooting from the field. North Carolina's 97 points are the most the Tar Heels have scored during regulation in ACC play this season.
Graduate forward Jae'Lyn Withers opened the scoring with a step-back triple from the top of the key as the shot clock wound down. Graduate guard RJ Davis drilled a three from almost the exact same spot on the next UNC possession, giving the Tar Heels a 6-2 lead. The first few minutes were back and forth, with UNC leading 8-6 at the under-16 timeout.
North Carolina came out of the timeout and deployed the full court press, leading to two consecutive Wolfpack turnovers and four UNC points.
"I like it [the press] more at times with certain individuals out there on the floor, so I'm always thinking about that as well," head coach Hubert Davis said. "But it's something that's just really been good for us and it's something that we're gonna use every game."
With UNC up 18-8, Withers hit a three from the wing. N.C. State answered with a floater, ending a four minute field goal drought. The Tar Heels continued to extend the lead, as first-year guard Ian Jackson drained a 3-pointer from the left wing to give UNC a 28-10 advantage. Sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau then hit one of his own, but it was answered by a State triple.
Once again, the Tar Heels utilized the full court press and junior guard Seth Trimble plucked the ball out of the air. After Davis missed the three, Cadeau got the rebound and hit a layup on the drive. The bucket put UNC up 37-15.
North Carolina continued it's dominant first half performance, holding N.C. State without a field goal for three minutes while going on a 6-0 run capitalized by a dunk from junior forward Jalen Washington.
Junior guard Cade Tyson hit a catch-and-shoot corner three to extend the UNC lead to 51-24 with just under two minutes remaining in the first half. Tyson did it again from the other corner two possessions later and North Carolina entered halftime up 54-26.
