Tar Heels find a way to win an ACC game and win a close one against Irish
.JPG "North Carolina forward Day’Ron Sharpe (11) drives to the basket while Notre Dame guard Nikola Djogo (13) defends during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021.")
A year ago, it all became so predictable for North Carolina.
There would be close basketball games, and the Tar Heels would lose. The other team was the one hitting the late shot, winning, chest-bumping, celebrating after the game.
Notre Dame’s Nate Laszewski, for example. His 3-pointer in the final seconds last season gave the Irish a home-court victory over UNC, which suffered through a 14-19 season that had a high frustration quotient for the Tar Heels and their faithful.
UNC freshman Day’Ron Sharpe wasn’t there for that one, but he and the Tar Heels had lost close games this season to Texas, then N.C. State and Georgia Tech. They also saw enough of Laszewski again Saturday as the 6-10 junior drained seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points for Notre Dame at the Smith Center.
But this time, this game, had a different ending. North Carolina won this one 66-65, making the big shots and timely stops at the end for its first ACC victory.
Sharpe, active and attacking all game, had 25 points and his dunk with 1:35 left in regulation, off a Garrison Brooks bounce pass, gave UNC a one-point lead.
“He’s a load around the basket,” UNC coach Roy WIlliams said on the postgame media call. ”He was a man in there.”
After Prentiss Hubb pushed the Irish back ahead, Leaky Black drove for what would be the winning basket with 9.1 seconds remaining, using a screen from Brooks and scoring over Laszewski.
The Irish still had time to steal it. But UNC’s defense and ball pressure were sharp enough. Laszewski never touched the ball as forward Juwan Durham put up a 12-foot jumper from the right baseline that was short, there was no follow shot and that was that.
“The difference between winning and losing is so slight,” Williams said. “But Leaky made a great drive to the basket and scored, and then we got a stop on the other end. Last year that ball kept going in.
“Its a good feeling right now, there’s no question. The kids feel good about what they did.”
After 18 turnovers against both the Pack and Yellow Jackets, UNC had just eight Saturday. Five came in the first 5:04 of the game, when both teams were shaky with the ball.
Why so much better?
“It’s easy to do, I guess. I just threatened them how much we were going to run if they kept turning the ball over,” Williams said.
Running sprints at practice, that is. And however Williams said it to his players, he got his point across, although Notre Dame isn’t a team that offers up intense defensive pressure.
There was one late turnover that irked Williams, that had him pounding the scorer’s table.
R.J. Davis lost the ball with 3:36 left in regulation and the Irish took the lead on a basket by Prentiss Hubb. Davis and Black missed 3-point shots, but Black twice rebounded the misses and Kerwin Walton knocked down a 3 with 2:22 left — UNC was 8-of-23 from 3 in the game, another key to victory.
Mainly, UNC played to its strengths offensively. Sharpe got the ball a lot as the Tar Heels looked inside a lot. UNC also owned the boards, turning 21 rebounds into 18 second-chance points and taking a 48-27 overall advantage.
Sharpe, so mobile at 6-10, closed 9 of 19 from the field and had nine rebounds. He became the first UNC player to score 20 or more points this season.
“He just plays hard 24/7,” Black said, “Some days he comes in beat up ... and every single day his motor is on another level.”
Sharpe didn’t disagree, saying, “I kind of pride myself on my motor and the kind of guy who plays hard on every possession.”
This day, hard and well. And North Carolina won a close one.
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 8:36 PM with the headline "Tar Heels find a way to win an ACC game and win a close one against Irish."
