North Carolina had chances to pull away from North Carolina State, but what fun would that have been?
Ian Jackson’s three-pointer with 5:53 left gave the Tar Heels a 56-47 lead, and it looked like the Wolfpack were ready to fold, but the Tar Heels couldn’t stand prosperity.
North Carolina State would go on a 12-2 run over the 3:25 to take a 61-59 lead. The stretch included back-to-back turnovers by Elliot Cadeau. The turnovers sent Cadeau to the bench. The Tar Heels shot 1-3 with RJ Davis’ layup, the only made basket.
What would North Carolina do on the road against their old-school rival?
The same thing the Tar Heels (11-6, 4-1) did in South Bend. Find a way.
Another three-pointer by Jackson gave the Tar Heels a two-point. After the Wolfpack tied it, Cadeau made up for the two turnovers a few minutes before by not panicking when North Carolina State pressured him and finding Jalen Washington for the game-winning dunk.
Washington would block Jayden Taylor’s attempt to tie the game as time expired.
North Carolina walked out of Raleigh with a 63-61 win.
Takeaways:
Jackson’s Efficiency: North Carolina fans have gotten used to seeing Jackson’s offense on full display, but against the Wolfpack, you saw a level of efficiency playing off of his teammates. Six of Jackson’s eight made baskets were assisted. It was why Jackson was 5-8 from three. Carolina’s ability to penetrate gave enough space for Jackson to get off his shots without hard closeouts.
Washington’s Contribution: Washington’s contributions have been inconsistent, and that’s being kind. He may still be trying to find his way with fewer two-big offense lineups because head coach Hubert Davis doesn’t have two true bigs.
What the Heels need out of Washington was on full display in Raleigh. It starts with grabbing 12 rebounds, six on the defense and six on offense. He also poured in 11 points, most of which came at the front of the rim. All this in a season-high 27 minutes. The minutes are important because, with Seth Trimble back from injury, it allows head coach Hubert Davis to play a four-guard offense more often.
Washington had the highest Floor% and ORtg. I didn’t have that on my Bingo card.
Free Throw Attempts: North Carolina is 10th in conference play in free throw attempts. Against the Wolfpack, the Tar Heels attempted eight free throws. EIGHT.
Washington would attempt four of them.
In a game where the Tar Heels played small, getting the ball to the front of the rim and drawing a foul will be crucial against the better teams in the conference. That means drawing contact and finishing.
