Lucas: Saint Peter's Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. The eighth-seeded Tar Heels are going to the Final Four.

2. Some incredible historical numbers before we get to the game: Carolina now has 130 NCAA Tournament victories, the most in the sport (Kentucky is next with 129). The Tar Heels have been to 21 Final Fours, the most in the sport (UCLA is next with 18). The Heels have been to the Final Four in nine decades, the only team in the sport to achieve that mark. And Hubert Davis is going to the Final Four in his first season as head coach, so you know somewhere Bill Guthridge is smiling.

3. Armando Bacot was an absolute beast inside from the very beginning. Bacot completely owned the backboards and set the tone for the entire game in the opening minutes. His 22 rebounds tied the most ever by a Tar Heel in an NCAA Tournament game (tying Tyler Zeller against Ohio in 2012). He is also now fifth all-time in ACC single-season rebounding, passing Tim Duncan. Bacot has the most rebounds in a single season in the ACC in the past 60 years. His double-double also means he has 29 of those this season, which ties Duncan for the ACC single season record. Think of all the great Tar Heel big men...Bacot is putting up numbers that have surpassed all of them. He's having an incredible season.

4. Brady Manek came to Chapel Hill saying he wanted to see what it would be like to advance past the first weekend in the NCAA Tournament, because he had never done it in his Oklahoma career. Manek, who fell in love with the Tar Heels after conversations with Hubert Davis in a recruitment that lasted less than a week, is a big reason why the Tar Heels are going to the Final Four. Manek had 19 points on 7-for-11 shooting against Saint Peter's.

5. Leaky Black was absolutely sensational defensively yet again. He completely blanketed Doug Edert and was virtually everywhere throughout the evening. Black's acceptance and understanding of what Carolina needs him to do in order to be the best possible Tar Heel team they can be is a big reason why the Heels are going to New Orleans.

6. It will be interesting to see if whoever Carolina's next opponent might be decides to go with a hack-a-Bacot strategy. The Tar Heel big man is just 13-for-28 from the line in his last three games. It has been virtually the only weak point of his game, as he continues to battle a sore back.

7. Shaheen Holloway is a very good coach, and he tried to change up his defense to slow down the Tar Heels midway through the first half. It didn't work. The Peacocks went to an extended 2-3 zone for three possessions, and the Tar Heels got six points on those three trips down the court. Holloway then went back to man-to-man. You know who else is a very good coach? Hubert Davis, who has had an amazing March. The closing 90 seconds, when all five starters embraced a tearful Davis on the UNC sideline, was chill-inducing.

8. A subtle storyline from Philadelphia: Carolina got some really good reserve minutes from Puff Johnson. The sophomore was able to give a rest to both Armando Bacot and Leaky Black in Sunday's first half, scoring a basket, handing out an assist and playing some quality time in his ten minutes.

9. With Saint Peter's being the overwhelming underdog story of the NCAA Tournament, you might have expected the Wells Fargo Center crowd to be heavily pro-Peacock. It wasn't nearly as substantial a split as expected, though. A very, very strong Carolina turnout in Philadelphia put the arena at maybe 50-50. Tar Heel basketball lettermen on hand included Bobby Frasor, Tyler Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard, Al Wood (back in the city where he put up 39 points in the 1981 Final Four), Shammond Williams, Melvin Scott, Walker Miller and more. Tar Heel women's lacrosse coach Jenny Levy was also on hand, back in the city where her program won a national title in 2016.

10. There will be plenty of time in the next few days to think/stress/agonize over what's going to happen next weekend (it's already been announced that the Carolina game will be the second semifinal on Saturday night). At least until midnight, though, enjoy that the 2022 Tar Heels, coached by Hubert Davis, are going to the Final Four in New Orleans. And don't you feel pretty good about the present and future of the Carolina basketball program right now?

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Leaky Black

Puff Johnson

Brady Manek

Walker Miller

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