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University of North Carolina Athletics
Thursday, March 9
Greensboro, N.C.
7 PM
North Carolina
20-13,11-9ACC
59
vs
68
Virginia (Quarterfinal)
24-6,15-5ACC
1
2
F
North Carolina
24
35
59
Virginia
25
43
68
Team Stats
UNC
UVa
FG%
.358
.490
3FG%
.296
.267
FT%
.722
.727
RB
34
29
TO
11
6
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F/C
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
RJ Davis
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Virginia Downs Men's Basketball, 68-59, In ACC Quarterfinal
March 9, 2023 | Men's Basketball
by Matt Bowers
GREENSBORO, N.C.—Second-seeded and 13th-ranked Virginia shot 58.3 percent in the second half, played stingy defense and beat No. 7 seed North Carolina, 68-59, in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Cavaliers advance to Friday's semifinal round to meet No. 3 seed Clemson. Virginia improved to 24-6 this season and beat the Tar Heels for the second time in three meetings in 2022-23. Carolina fell to 20-13.
Virginia hit 14 of 24 field goal tries in the second half and 16 of 22 free throws in the game, converting key offensive opportunities when it needed it down the stretch. Jayden Gardner led UVA with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Reece Beekman added 15 points, and Armaan Franklin had 14.
RJ Davis led all scorers with 24 points, hitting 4 of 8 three-pointers. Caleb Love scored 11 but missed 12 of 15 shots, connecting on his first bucket with 8:54 left in the game.
Carolina shot 39 percent in the first half and 33 percent in the second, finishing at 35.8 percent overall.
"It was definitely frustrating and disappointing, but one thing I can say about this group is we fight to the end," Davis said. "We're a resilient group. We may get kicked down, but we always get back up, and that's something that has been a major theme for this whole team."
Armando Bacot was limited due the lingering effects of spraining his left ankle in Wednesday night's second-round win over Boston College.
The Cavs neutralized Bacot early in the game, forcing him away from the basket and holding him to two points and two rebounds in 16 first-half minutes. Bacot scored the first basket of the game and did not score again until a putback with 10:40 remaining in the game, attempting just four field goals. He played 21 minutes, including just five in the second half, and finished with four points and three rebounds.
"It was really difficult for [Bacot] to get position or hold position down low in the post, very difficult for him to make any moves," Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said of the effect of the ankle injury. "When he set screens, it appeared and looked difficult for him to get out of the screens."
UVA went on a 14-2 run in a span of 4:15 to take a 23-15 lead into the final media timeout of the first half. The Cavs hit 7 of 9 shots during the spurt. The Tar Heels responded with three consecutive three-pointers (two by Davis and one by Leaky Black) to retake momentum in the final four minutes and were fortunate to trail just 25-24 at the break.
Virginia hit 9 of its first 12 second-half shots and rebuilt its advantage, but Davis kept Carolina in the game with two three-pointers early in the half.
Davis scored 20 of UNC's first 37 points for his seventh 20-point effort of the season, but UVA clamped down and held him scoreless for eight minutes until he hit a free throw with 3:56 remaining.
Carolina's defense gave it a chance by holding Virginia scoreless for over three minutes of action, but the Tar Heels missed 12 of 14 shots at one point in the closing minutes. After UNC cut the deficit to two at 57-55, Virginia went on a 9-0 run for a 66-55 lead with 27 seconds to go.
"Down the stretch, the discipline and the details, the little things, free throws, taking care of the basketball [hurt us]," Hubert Davis said. "I think we missed a couple layups. We just didn't make the plays that you needed to down the stretch."
A day after hitting 10 of 24 on three-pointers (.417) vs. Boston College, UNC was 8 for 27 (29.6 percent) from behind the arc on Thursday. UVA converted Carolina's 11 turnovers into 14 points while committing just six miscues itself. Despite its reputation for a slower pace of play, Virginia outscored UNC in fast break points, 11-2.
Notes:
• UNC is 106-51 in the ACC Tournament, including 48-14 in the quarterfinals.
• Carolina dropped to 128-40 in the city of Greensboro, including 120-36 in the Greensboro Coliseum. That includes a 32-14 mark since 1995 after the building was renovated in the early 1990s.
• The Tar Heels are 43-21 in Greensboro in the ACC Tournament.
• Carolina is 134-62 all-time versus Virginia, including 14-5 in the ACC Tournament and 8-2 in Greensboro.
GREENSBORO, N.C.—Second-seeded and 13th-ranked Virginia shot 58.3 percent in the second half, played stingy defense and beat No. 7 seed North Carolina, 68-59, in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Cavaliers advance to Friday's semifinal round to meet No. 3 seed Clemson. Virginia improved to 24-6 this season and beat the Tar Heels for the second time in three meetings in 2022-23. Carolina fell to 20-13.
Virginia hit 14 of 24 field goal tries in the second half and 16 of 22 free throws in the game, converting key offensive opportunities when it needed it down the stretch. Jayden Gardner led UVA with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Reece Beekman added 15 points, and Armaan Franklin had 14.
RJ Davis led all scorers with 24 points, hitting 4 of 8 three-pointers. Caleb Love scored 11 but missed 12 of 15 shots, connecting on his first bucket with 8:54 left in the game.
Carolina shot 39 percent in the first half and 33 percent in the second, finishing at 35.8 percent overall.
"It was definitely frustrating and disappointing, but one thing I can say about this group is we fight to the end," Davis said. "We're a resilient group. We may get kicked down, but we always get back up, and that's something that has been a major theme for this whole team."
Armando Bacot was limited due the lingering effects of spraining his left ankle in Wednesday night's second-round win over Boston College.
The Cavs neutralized Bacot early in the game, forcing him away from the basket and holding him to two points and two rebounds in 16 first-half minutes. Bacot scored the first basket of the game and did not score again until a putback with 10:40 remaining in the game, attempting just four field goals. He played 21 minutes, including just five in the second half, and finished with four points and three rebounds.
"It was really difficult for [Bacot] to get position or hold position down low in the post, very difficult for him to make any moves," Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said of the effect of the ankle injury. "When he set screens, it appeared and looked difficult for him to get out of the screens."
UVA went on a 14-2 run in a span of 4:15 to take a 23-15 lead into the final media timeout of the first half. The Cavs hit 7 of 9 shots during the spurt. The Tar Heels responded with three consecutive three-pointers (two by Davis and one by Leaky Black) to retake momentum in the final four minutes and were fortunate to trail just 25-24 at the break.
Virginia hit 9 of its first 12 second-half shots and rebuilt its advantage, but Davis kept Carolina in the game with two three-pointers early in the half.
Davis scored 20 of UNC's first 37 points for his seventh 20-point effort of the season, but UVA clamped down and held him scoreless for eight minutes until he hit a free throw with 3:56 remaining.
Carolina's defense gave it a chance by holding Virginia scoreless for over three minutes of action, but the Tar Heels missed 12 of 14 shots at one point in the closing minutes. After UNC cut the deficit to two at 57-55, Virginia went on a 9-0 run for a 66-55 lead with 27 seconds to go.
"Down the stretch, the discipline and the details, the little things, free throws, taking care of the basketball [hurt us]," Hubert Davis said. "I think we missed a couple layups. We just didn't make the plays that you needed to down the stretch."
A day after hitting 10 of 24 on three-pointers (.417) vs. Boston College, UNC was 8 for 27 (29.6 percent) from behind the arc on Thursday. UVA converted Carolina's 11 turnovers into 14 points while committing just six miscues itself. Despite its reputation for a slower pace of play, Virginia outscored UNC in fast break points, 11-2.
Notes:
• UNC is 106-51 in the ACC Tournament, including 48-14 in the quarterfinals.
• Carolina dropped to 128-40 in the city of Greensboro, including 120-36 in the Greensboro Coliseum. That includes a 32-14 mark since 1995 after the building was renovated in the early 1990s.
• The Tar Heels are 43-21 in Greensboro in the ACC Tournament.
• Carolina is 134-62 all-time versus Virginia, including 14-5 in the ACC Tournament and 8-2 in Greensboro.
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