North Carolina Travels To Tallahassee To Take On Florida State
After nipping Wake Forest in Chapel Hill North Carolina will face Florida State in Tallahassee Wednesday.
North Carolina is ranked 12th in this weeks poll while Florida State is ranked 24th. "according to http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/rankings
As for North Carolina's last game they nipped Wake Forest Saturday December 30th.
North Carolina survived its Atlantic Coast Conference opener, buoyed by the big late-game shot from Joel Berry II and the veteran experience from last year's national title run. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
And yet, the 13th-ranked Tar Heels all know they have to play much better if they want to keep winning in league play. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
Berry hit a high-arcing floater in the paint with 10.3 seconds left and UNC closed the game on an 8-0 run to rally past Wake Forest 73-69 on Saturday, barely avoiding its first league-opening loss at home since January 2009."according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
The Tar Heels (12-2, 1-0 ACC) led by 10 points early in the second half, but didn't hold that margin and trailed 69-65 in the final 2 1/2 minutes. They didn't defend well after halftime — Wake Forest shot 50 percent in the second half — and didn't get much in transition all afternoon.
They also got nothing from their bench beyond sixth-man Cameron Johnson. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
And all that left coach Roy Williams in a similarly frustrated state to the last time the Tar Heels had played at home: a stunning 79-75 loss to Wofford 10 days earlier."according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
"It's not a great positive message to them in the locker room," Williams said, "because by golly, we've got to play smarter and we've got to play harder." "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
Luke Maye had 17 points and 15 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels, while Berry had 16. UNC shot just 40 percent but helped itself by taking a 49-34 rebounding advantage and scoring 16 second-chance points to none for Wake Forest (7-6, 0-1). "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
Theo Pinson hit two free throws with 51.4 seconds left to tie the game at 69. Then, after a missed Wake Forest free throw, Berry drove and floated the shot over 7-foot-1 shot blocker Doral Moore. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
"That guy's 7-1 and he has a long wingspan," Berry said of Moore. "Soon as I saw him coming over, I knew I had to get it high or he was going to block it. I did a pretty good job of doing that — higher than usual, but it went in." "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
UNC still needed Kenny Williams to rebound Keyshawn Woods' push-it-upcourt 3-pointer for the lead and hit two clinching free throws with 1.3 seconds left to seal it. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
"I wanted anybody to be aggressive and put their man on their heels," Wake Forest coach Danny Manning said of Woods' shot, adding: "He's made shots like that before. I thought it was online from where I was at and then it kind of drifted to the left." "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
BIG PICTURE
Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons have been up and down from opening night, bumbling their way to an 0-3 start — two of those were at home — but later putting together a six-game winning streak before last weekend's loss to No. 19 Tennessee. But they repeated their late-game fade from that one, when they surrendered a game-ending 13-0 run. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
UNC: The Tar Heels were playing at the Smith Center for the first time since the stunning loss to Wofford that ended a 23-game home winning streak, though they had followed with a win against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic in New Orleans. They very nearly took another home loss, though the reigning national champions figured out how to grind this one with a veteran group. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
LATE FADE
Bryant Crawford scored 17 points to lead the Demon Deacons, and his runner with 2:23 left had given Wake Forest the 69-65 lead. But Brandon Childress missed a 3-pointer, then Crawford missed another on the ensuing possession extended by a jump-ball call. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
Moore — who had five blocks — also missed the front end of a 1-and-1 chance at the line with 34.1 seconds left in a tie game. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
BENCH PLAY
Johnson had 11 points off the bench for UNC, but the rest of its reserves combined for two points, four rebounds and three turnovers with none playing more than 8 minutes. "according to http://www.goheels.com/news/2017/12/30/mens-basketball-berry-lifts-tar-heels-to-73-69-win-over-wfu.aspx?path=mbball
As for Florida State's last game, unlike North Carolina who won Florida State lost to Duke in Durham Saturday.
Marvin Bagley III and Wendell Carter Jr. kept cleaning up plenty of misses for No. 4 Duke. Florida State had no way to stop them, especially down the stretch when the Seminoles’ shots stopped falling. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Bagley had 32 points and a season-best 21 rebounds, and the Blue Devils pulled away to beat No. 24 Florida State 100-93 on Saturday. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Fellow freshman Carter added 14 points and a season-high 16 rebounds, Grayson Allen scored 22 points and Trevon Duval scored 11 of his 16 in the second half to help the Blue Devils (13-1, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) win a back-and-forth game that had 14 lead changes and the feel of March. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
“We couldn’t stop each other,” coach Mike Krzyzewski said, “and the will to score and will to win was evident every second from both teams. For us to win that game is sensational for our group.” "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Phil Cofer scored a career-high 28 points and Braian Angola finished with a career-best 23 for the Seminoles (11-2, 0-1), who shot nearly 45 percent and hit 15 3-pointers. Angola’s 3 with just under 4 minutes remaining put them up 91-89, but they missed their final eight shots — six of which came from long range. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
“I thought our kids were connected. We just didn’t have an answer for keeping Bagley and Carter off the glass,” coach Leonard Hamilton said. “They are such good athletes and have such great hands and timing and strength. … That made the difference in the game. When you have two guys like that, they make up for misses.” "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Bagley and Carter combined for 37 rebounds — two more than the entire Seminoles team — and they helped Duke impose its will inside when it counted most. Of Duke’s final 12 field goals during the last 10 1/2 minutes, all but one were layups or dunks. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Duval and Carter teamed to make several key plays down the stretch for the Blue Devils, with Krzyzewski saying he told Duval that “we’re not going to call a play. Just go. And he went.” "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Duval hit a twisting layup that tied it at 93 with about 3 minutes left, then found an uncovered Carter underneath a possession later for the go-ahead dunk. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Carter — playing with four fouls — then drew a key charge on Trent Forrest on Florida State’s next trip downcourt and Duval hit on another acrobatic drive two possessions later to make it 97-93 and make it a two-possession game to stay. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
“I was just in the moment where I saw him driving at me, and during the scouting report, I knew he wasn’t going to stop on a dime or dish it over,” Carter said. “So I just stepped over and hoped the referee was on my side.” "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
BIG PICTURE
Florida State: The Seminoles received no favors from the ACC’s schedule-maker. They could open league play with three straight losses yet still have a strong case for a Top 25 ranking because their first three league opponents are Duke, No. 13 North Carolina and No. 15 Miami. They put themselves in position for their second victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium in the past decade — but it slipped away during that untimely cold spell. "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Duke: The nation’s fourth-ranked team is no longer in the ACC’s cellar, but had to work awfully hard to escape it. The Blue Devils struggled from long range, shooting just 26.7 percent from beyond the arc, but made up for it by scoring 56 points in the paint, thanks in large part to Bagley and Carter."according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
STAR WATCH
Cofer surpassed his career high in the first half, scoring 22 points by halftime. His last field goal — a 3-pointer from the corner — came with about 15 1/2 minutes remaining. “He didn’t force any shots,” Hamilton said. “Other guys got momentum and produced. … The ball just didn’t come to him.” "according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
SHOT OF THE NIGHT
Bagley missed a free throw with 8:44 remaining but grabbed the rebound in the lane and put up a shot through contact from Angola that spun off the top of the backboard and dropped through. Bagley hit the free throw that followed to put Duke up 78-74."according to http://seminoles.com/no-24-noles-fall-in-thriller-at-no-4-duke/
Tip-off is set for 7:00pm. The game will be televised on ESPN2. "according to http://www.goheels.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball