UNC basketball dominated Tennessee at times, but Tar Heels still think they can get better
North Carolina guard RJ Davis stepped to the free throw line with 17 seconds remaining in an all-of-a-sudden close game against Tennessee.
Square up, swish. Square up, swish. One hundred points.
The No. 17 Tar Heels (6-1) defeated the No. 10 Vols (4-3), 100-92, on Wednesday in their return home after a 2-1 showing at the Battle 4 Atlantis.
The Heels’ win came two years and eight days after the Vols toppled UNC, 89-72, when the teams were ranked No. 17 and No. 18, respectively.
Photos: North Carolina defeats Tennessee in the ACC/SEC Challenge
UNC head coach Hubert Davis, RJ Davis and forward Armando Bacot remember that game. They remember the physicality and the feelings of defeat.
“It felt like they bullied us for real, and we didn’t like the feeling of that,” Bacot said. “Just going out there and doing what we did today was huge for us.”
“I do remember getting cooked up at the Mohegan Sun my first year,” Hubert Davis added. “Not that tonight was payback, but just remembering what Tennessee brings — their intensity, the physicality, the talent they have out there on the floor and their response of coming off of two tough losses in Honolulu — put us in a position to compete tonight.”
Carolina scored 61 points in the first half, freshman guard Elliot Cadeau logged 10 assists without a turnover and the team pulled down 12 offensive rebounds. At one point, the Tar Heels led by 24 points.
It was the first time since playing the Citadel on Dec. 13, 2022, that the Tar Heels scored 100 points, and the second time in the Tennessee series. The only other time the Heels put up 100 against the Voles was on Nov. 24, 2006.
Three UNC players — RJ Davis, Bacot and Harrison Ingram — all scored at least 20 points. The last time three players hit that milestone was on Dec. 17, 2022, against Ohio State. The first half was among the best halves in Hubert Davis’ tenure, and a memorable one for the program overall.
There’s still room for improvement, though. It felt like the Heels should have had the game locked up after the break, even if they didn’t score another 60. But, Tennessee, cut the lead to single digits multiple times in the second half. With fewer than two minutes remaining, the Vols made it a six-point game. Guard Dalton Knecht scored a career-high 37 points on the Heels, which ties an all-time opponent scoring record.
Takeaways from No. 17 UNC’s 100-92 win vs. No. 10 Tennessee in ACC/SEC Challenge
Hubert Davis said afterward there are things “we definitely need to learn and grow from,” noting how the team needs to stay locked in on defense and execute well on offense when it has a big lead.
Still, there was a measure of redemption from UNC’s last matchup with the Vols. It was also a great response for the Heels after failing to win the Battle 4 Atlantis last week, having lost an overtime thriller to Villanova.
Wednesday night, Bacot and RJ Davis said UNC put the world on notice. No one knew what to expect from this Tar Heels team, but it’s clearly talented, with an even bigger upside.
“We can be great. I think it really showed us we still have a lot of room to improve. We can get a lot better,” Bacot said. “We didn’t even play our best game today, and we beat a great team by eight points — and were up 20 at some point. It just shows us we can get even better, and we’re really good right now.”
