Haters say North Carolina won the national championship for legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski by defeating Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the final home game. That they are going to pull out of the ACC tournament early as the Tar Heels put a lot into Saturday's win.
UNC coach Hubert Davies believes the height at which they enter the tournament has nothing to do with their poor performance in Durham. He said the team's camaraderie has never been better as the Heels have won 11 of their last 13, including the last five, advancing to Thursday's quarterfinal game against Virginia.
"I think the confidence and joy that our players are feeling is because of this, it's not guided by last Saturday," Davis said. "I think it's based on the last month and a half and how well we've been playing."
There's good reason to wonder whether Carolina will have a hangover from her biggest win of the season. High heels sometimes follow sports when they are played at a high level, causing a collapse.
After two-point victories against Virginia and Georgia Tech, they suffered a 28-point loss in Miami. After scoring 62 points in the first half in their win over Florida State, he scored a total of 67 points in the home loss to Pittsburgh.
"In terms of identity, I think we are a tough team, a flexible team," Davies said. "And I think that's kind of proven that this team has continued to persevere and bounce through the ups and downs of the season to put themselves where they are now. And I'm more than happy Can not be done. "
Regular season games
Carolina lost seven games to the Cavaliers with their 74–58 win at Chapel Hill on January 8. The two teams are vastly different than what they played on that date.
UNC forward Dawson Garcia had yet to leave the team for the season, but did not play due to concussion protocol. Guard Anthony Harris played 16 minutes, which was also his final game of the season.
Forward Armando Bacot scored a career-high 29 points and scored a career-high 22 rebounds in one of his best games of the season.
Forward Brady Manek proved to be a difference maker with five 3-pointers as part of his 19-point outing.
Keep up the pace
Keep in mind when playing Virginia, the pace of the game tends to be slower and the game doesn't have as much assets as UNC usually averages. The heels have to be disciplined and try not to play too fast when there is no play to be done. Miami is UVA's only rival to have scored 70 points in the last 10 matches.
Carolina was able to do this in the first game because she shared the ball so well. Heels had 19 assists on 28 bunny baskets. UVA coach Tony Bennett said Carolina raised her game as shown by her win over Duke.
"They're playing good basketball, they're very talented and they seem to be peaking at the right time," Bennett said. "It's a great opportunity for us, a great challenge to be as good as we can be on our way and try and meet it."
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Davis's vision of recruiting post players to shoot from the perimeter makes it particularly effective against the Cavs' pack line defense. So Manek could again be a major factor in the game.
Virginia prefers to double the position with her frontcourt players rather than use her guard. If Becote can guess the doubles out and pass, then chances are, Manek will be open for 3s.
During the Heels' five-game winning streak, Manek is shooting 44 percent (15 out of 34) from 3-point range.
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UVA's leading scorer Jaden Gardner has nearly 60 more baskets than Armaan Franklin, who is second on the team. Gardner hails from Wake Forest, and as UNC fans have become accustomed, the North Carolina native finds an extra level of motivation to play well against the Heels.
Sophomore guard Reece Beekman is a master at coming up with skip passes and steals on defense. He was named to the All-ACC defensive team and led the league with 2.07 steals per game.