After a week off, Carolina returned to action tonight, and in the process dismantled Georgia Tech 88-65 to sweep the season series with the Yellow Jackets. Armando Bacot scored another 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to record his seventh straight double-double, the second-longest streak since John Henson had nine back in 2010-11. R.J. Davis added 21 points, as he was sensational in the first half. Other players in the first half, include Caleb Love (14), and Brady Manek (11). Carolin shot 48% from the field, 36% from behind the arc, 90% from the foul line, to complete a dominant offensive effort. Defensively, Carolina was sharp once again, holding Georgia Tech to 46%, and just 21% from behind the arc. Michael DeVoe entered the game leading the team in scoring at over 20 points per game and was held to 5 points, on 1-5 shooting. Jordan Usher led them with 22 points, on 9-16 shooting.
The win over Georgia Tech, secured a season sweep of Georgia Tech, making it every year since the ACC was formed that the Tar Heels have swept a season series against a league opponent. The win pushes Carolina’s record to 12-4 overall, and 4-1 in league play, with a big week ahead of them as they will travel to Miami on Tuesday night, then Wake Forest on Saturday.
The challenge for UNC entering tonight was playing the same way they played last Saturday night, with a week off in-between games. A 23 point, home win would say that they did just that, as Carolina dominated the game on both ends of the floor like they are capable of doing, and in the process reminded of the team, they are more than capable of being.
Armando Bacot: He’s making his case to be the front runner for the ACC Player of the Year, with another 29 points double-double. Tonight he was 10-16 from the field and 9-9 from the foul line. He’s starting to take over games, in a manner that we haven’t seen since Brice Johnson anchored a run to the national title game. The impressive part about tonight was that he scored 29 points in 29 minutes, whereas last Saturday, he scored 29 points, in 38 minutes. A dominant, efficient, Bacot should have the rest of the ACC on notice.
R.J. Davis: After scoring 23 points in the first matchup, Davis scored 21 points, on 8-11 shooting, a week after not making a shot in the win over Virginia. He not only contributed to the scoring column, but he also added 5 rebounds and 6 assists. When he plays like he did tonight, Carolina is a completely different team.
Rebounding: The Tar Heels pounded the glass tonight, out-rebounding Georgia Tech 42-26, including 11-4 on the offensive glass. Armando Bacot led the team with 12 rebounds, and Dawson Garcia added 11 off the bench, in his first action since suffering a concussion at Boston College.
Assists: Of their 30 made baskets, 20 of them were assisted, as Carolina’s ball movement was crisp again. R.J. Davis led the team with 6, and Leaky Black added 4, which was second on the team.
Points in the Paint: Behind Armando Bacot, UNC outscored Georgia Tech 38-26 in the painted area. Tonight was a great example of the offense running through the bigs when the perimeter shots weren’t falling as Carolina was 9-25 from behind the arc. This offense may be initiated on the perimeter, but it functions at its best when the ball goes inside more often than not.
Up Next: Carolina hits the road for a contest at Maimi on Tuesday night, as they will seek a signature road conference win, as Miami has already secured a road win at Duke earlier this season. The game will start at 7 PM, on the ACC Network.
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