Well, it seems the sky is not falling in Chapel Hill as the 22nd-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels got back in the win column with a huge win at home against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to snap a two-game losing streak.
North Carolina Bounces Back After Rough Bay Area Road Trip
It hasn’t been the smoothest of starts to conference play for the Tar Heels, as coming into tonight’s game, North Carolina stood at just 2-3 in ACC play through the first two weeks. That record comes after tough back-to-back losses on the road against Stanford and Cal last week, as the Tar Heels looked out of sorts on their long road trip out to the Bay Area. Thankfully for North Carolina, the safe confines of Chapel Hill were just what the doctor ordered.
Tonight’s blowout win came thanks to star players Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar putting together magnificent performances to propel the Tar Heels to an easy victory. Wilson finished with a strong stat line of 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists as the star freshman flashed his all-around game. At the same time, Veesaar finished with a solid double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds in the win.
The Tar Heels’ offense was humming overall in the win, as North Carolina shot a blistering 50% from the field and 38% from three. North Carolina dominated in almost every major team statistic for the game, as the only category in which the Tar Heels fell short was in offensive rebounding, where they thoroughly lost that battle to Notre Dame 17-8.
Notre Dame’s Offense Can’t Keep Pace In Loss
While the Tar Heels’ offense seemingly couldn’t miss a shot all night, the Fighting Irish had a lid on their basket throughout the game. Notre Dame finished the night shooting just 36% from the field, 32% from three-point range, and a rough 53% from the free-throw line. While the Fighting Irish were able to rebound a significant amount of their misses on offense, they ultimately could not capitalize on the second-chance opportunities.
The only two bright spots on offense came in the form of Sir Mohammed and Jalen Haralson, who both put forth a valiant effort in the loss. Mohammed finished with 14 points in 20 minutes off the bench, while Haralson dropped 13 points and 6 rebounds as only three players for Notre Dame would finish in double figures in the game.
It would be a rather disappointing performance from junior Guard Braeden Shrewsberry, as the Fighting Irish sharpshooter would only manage to score 3 points tonight.
Updated ACC Standings
In an important game to jump back into contention for the ACC regular season title race, the Tar Heels are back in business following the win. North Carolina now stands at 3-3 in ACC play as they’re now in a five-way tie for 6th place in the conference. While this win only moves the needle slightly for the Tar Heels, it’s a much-needed win to keep within striking distance as their ACC schedule starts to stiffen.
What’s Next For Both Teams
It’ll be a quick turnaround for the Tar Heels, as they’ll go on the road once again for a Saturday afternoon tilt against the 14th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers, in a game that is sure to shake up the ACC standings. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish will return home to face Boston College on Saturday.
That game will not have as big an impact on the ACC standings as both Notre Dame and Boston College occupy the bottom of the conference with 1-5 and 2-4 in-conference records, respectively.
