Behind Eric Dixon’s career game, Villanova basketball upsets No. 14 UNC in the Bahamas

Seven years, seven months and 19 days. Or, if you prefer: 2,789 days.

That’s how long it’d been, as of Thursday, since April 4, 2016. Since North Carolina and Villanova played one another in the NCAA Tournament national championship game, in front of 75,000 or so people at a behemoth of a stadium in America’s fourth-largest city.

And then they met again here on Thursday, in the tight confines of a Bahamian ballroom within a short walk of the beach, on Thanksgiving Day. And, somehow, it was almost as if the Tar Heels and Wildcats picked right back up where they’d left off so many years ago.

The stakes were considerably lower, yes, but tell that to everyone who was on their feet here in the final minutes of regulation and overtime, an even contingent of UNC and ‘Nova fans who’d made the holiday trek here and were treated to the very height of what early-season college basketball can be. Tell that to the teams who spent 45 minutes of game time going back and forth and back again — 23 lead changes, 19 ties — until, at last, time ran out.

The result: An 83-81 Villanova victory, in overtime.

Indeed, regulation wasn’t enough. It was the kind of game in which neither team “lost,” per se — if UNC makes another 3-pointer or two, the postgame conversation is much different — but that Villanova won, with the winning plays in overtime and with the benefit of bad officiating luck for UNC, which lost three players — Harrison Ingram, Jae’Lyn Withers and Elliot Cadeau — to fouling out. The loss of Ingram, especially, was a significant difference-maker.

Onto the takeaways:

1. The Tar Heels experienced by far their most intense early-season test yet.

This was the situation with three and a half minutes remaining in regulation here on Thursday. Villanova led by three. There’d been 16 ties; 17 lead changes at that point. It was the kind of game in which any observer could tell might go down to the final shot of regulation, and it did. Or that it might wind up in overtime, and ... it did.

UNC, besieged by foul trouble (and more on that in a bit), remained close through the end of regulation, even if it could never quite get over the hump and tie or take the lead. That is, until a beautiful play, out of a timeout, in which Cadeau penetrated the defense and found Cormac Ryan in the left corner for a tying 3-pointer.

The final shot of regulation — a not-great look from RJ Davis near the top of the key — was not ideal, but was perhaps understandable given the limited time. In overtime, the teams continued to go back-and-forth until Villanova took a 75-74 lead with two minutes remaining.

A minute later, Davis found Armando Bacot for a dunk that cut UNC’s deficit to one but from there Mark Armstrong willed a floater over Bacot’s outstretched arm and Davis missed an out-of-control layup attempt on the other end, allowing the Wildcats to extend the lead at the free throw line.

Still, the final seconds weren’t without drama. Ryan cut Villanova’s lead to two with 2.6 seconds left, with a free throw after stealing a long inbounds pass, and then he intentionally missed the second free throw attempt – but without hitting the rim, giving possession back to the Wildcats.

The final minutes of regulation and all of overtime would’ve provided some intensity if the teams played each other in an empty gym. But it played out in front of a raucous, loud crowd; the atmosphere rising to the moment as much as the game itself.

Said UNC coach Hubert Davis, afterward:

“Obviously, I’m disappointed that we didn’t win. But I was very proud of the effort of the guys. I thought they competed. I thought when plays needed to be made, they made them.

“And we just came up short. And this is a great learning opportunity for us, to grow. Moving forward to tomorrow, for the remainder of the year, we’re going to be in these situations again. It’s just a great learning experience for us.”

2. Harrison Ingram appears like the answer to an important preseason question.

And that question? Who was going to emerge, among all of UNC’s newcomers, as the team’s most important, dependable player after Davis and Armando Bacot. Ingram has certainly made a case over the past two days for being that guy.

He was UNC’s leading scorer here on Wednesday in the Atlantis-opener against Northern Iowa, with 16 points. And then he was often the Tar Heels’ best player on Thursday. Ingram finished with 16 points (again) and 10 rebounds, and while his absence wasn’t debilitating for UNC down the stretch, the Tar Heels certainly missed him.

He fouled out with a little less than four minutes remaining, on an iffy offensive foul call.

3. This is ... only Thanksgiving? It felt like March

Why do some of the best college basketball teams in the country seek out these trips to The Bahamas every year? Or, Maui? It’s not because the coaching staffs want to go somewhere warm approaching late November. Or because maybe they want to avoid the in-laws during a holiday week. Well, at least those aren’t the only reasons.

It’s because, win or lose, the experience can’t help but toughen up a team and make it better. (And, if it doesn’t, that provides a teaching opportunity, too.) UNC and Villanova spent the afternoon of Thanksgiving inside the weirdest gym they’ll play in all season, playing under the stage lights of a convention space, within a short walk of the charms and quirks of a Bahamian beach resort.

And dang if it wasn’t just about as intense as a tied game in Cameron Indoor Stadium in the final minutes. And, at times, almost as loud. This was Thanksgiving? It felt like mid-to-late March, with a lot more on the line than advancing to the finals of a holiday tournament whose results, frankly, don’t matter a ton compared to other goals that can only be accomplished in March or early April.

Thing is, coming here, at this point in a young season, is an important part of getting there, later in it. For UNC, it was easy to see the confidence and cohesion building. There were a lot of important moments, and important growth, for the Tar Heels on Thursday.

4. That said, UNC didn’t match Villanova’s physicality

Former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski would’ve called it “a man’s game” on Thursday, one between “grown men,” and he wouldn’t have been wrong. Problem for UNC was, though, that the Wildcats proved to be a little more grown. Part of their strategy clearly involved imposing their physical will on UNC, and Villanova often did that, with the likes of TJ Bamba and Justin Moore and ...

Eric Dixon. Yes, especially him.

Dixon, Hubert Davis said, “kicked our tail.”

If 34 points and 10 rebounds equals a tail-kicking then, yes, Dixon did that.

“A strong guy, a lefty, can shoot,” said Ingram, who was among the Tar Heels who tried (without much success) to defend Dixon. “(He) can really just bully. And the way they play, with (isolation) in the post — and it’s pretty tough to stop.”

The Tar Heels had little answer for Dixon who, at 6-foot-8 and 255 pounds, was a force whenever and wherever he touched the ball. Trying to defend him, and others, was sometimes a fruitless endeavor for UNC, which finished with 30 fouls.

5. The officiating left something to be desired, but

No, Tar Heels fans, your eyes didn’t deceive you: Some officiating imbalance cost UNC here on Thursday. The loss of Ingram, especially, hurt the Tar Heels. He finished with 20 points, despite missing the final few minutes after fouling out.

Cadeau, meanwhile, fouled out early in overtime.

The number of fouls — and UNC committed its most since a 2015 game at Louisville — wasn’t as problematic as the inconsistency in how the game was called. At times, officials let both teams play, and there wasn’t much of a limit to the physicality. In other moments, officials called it fairly tightly. UNC wound up with more fouls in part because it had trouble defending.

Some of the angst over the officiating was warranted. Still, it wasn’t why UNC lost.

The Tar Heels had their chances, even after players fouled out. If they make a few more shots, it’s a different outcome. If they make some defensive adjustments, even, it could’ve been a different outcome.

6. No, that was not the shot UNC wanted at the end of regulation

Hubert Davis had 3.3 seconds to work with at the end of regulation, with the teams tied at 68. The result out of a timeout was that rushed, somewhat off-balance 25-foot attempt from RJ Davis. It was not the shot that UNC wanted.

The first option, Hubert Davis said, was to try to get the ball to Ryan for a backdoor layup attempt. But Villanova, Davis said, did not switch off of a screen the way UNC anticipated. Option No. 2 was to get the ball to RJ Davis and “for him to move and be able to make a shot, and make a play.”

“So you’ve just got to give credit to Villanova. They did a good job getting a shot in that situation.”

7. Hubert Davis’ trust in Elliot Cadeau continues to build

After Cadeau scored a season-high 15 points during UNC’s victory against Northern Iowa on Wednesday, Davis praised Cadeau for his progress and said he continues to improve, daily. Cadeau’s performance here in The Bahamas suggests it’s not hyperbole. No, he’s not starting — not yet, anyway, but little by little you can see Davis’ trust in the freshman point guard continue to grow.

Cadeau was the first player off the bench here on Thursday, though he quickly retreated to it after picking up two fouls. But when it mattered most during the first half — in the final moments, with the Tar Heels seeking a strong finish before halftime — he was back in. The ball was in Cadeau’s hands in the final seconds of the first half, with UNC calling a timeout to set up a play with eight seconds remaining.

From there, he penetrated the Villanova defense, and made a couple strong moves to create space. He drew the attention of the defense and then passed to RJ Davis on the right baseline, where Davis made a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Tar Heels a 34-32 lead at halftime. A small moment, but an important one for Cadeau’s confidence and continued development.

(Davis’ shot, by the way, meant that these teams played two consecutive halves that ended with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to give one team the lead. Yes, they were separated by almost eight years, but who’s keeping track?)

Cadeau also made the key assist in the final minute of regulation, that allowed RJ Davis to make the tying shot. Cadeau finished with three points and five assists, and a host of other Good Little Things moments that portend positive things for his growth. During his 17 minutes, UNC outscored Villanova by 17 points.

8. The success of this trip now comes down to Friday

UNC has split its first two games here in The Bahamas, and there’s been more good than bad; more signs of growth and potential than anything to be overly concerned about (though, yes, the defense left something to be desired on Thursday). Another difficult test awaits Friday, though, and it’d be difficult to spin this as a positive trip if UNC suffers a second consecutive loss.

The schedule, too, remains difficult after UNC leaves here. It’ll be important for the Tar Heels to depart the islands on a positive — and not the kind that comes with a moral victory.