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By Adam Lucas
1. Crafted for Carolina, did what they had to do to get past Boston College, 72-64.
2. Armando Bacot’s double-double – which he set before half-time – breaks the school record. Bacot’s 60th double-double ties him with Billy Cunningham, a record that has stood for 60 years. He’s also just a handful of rebounds away from overtaking Tyler Hansbrough as the school’s all-time all-time rebounder, a mark that should fall in the next game or two. He finished with 20 points and 16 rebounds.
3. Carolina continues to juggle staff. Tuesday marked Pete Nance’s return from a back injury and he heralded his return by hitting a pair of threes in the opening four minutes. But the Tar Heels were without Jalen Washington, who was handicapped by an ankle injury sustained in the shootaround earlier in the day. Nance had six points and five rebounds on his return.
4. This was an old fight in the post between Bacot and Quentin Post of Boston College. Post eventually failed, but not before he and Bacot exchanged numerous pushes and shoves. Post had 17 points but only five rebounds.
5. This was a fitting matchup for an Eagles team that plays more offense in three-point arcs than any opponent Carolina has seen this season. BC continued their pattern throughout the season, hitting just two three-pointers in the first 20 minutes (Carolina had 14). The Eagles take more long two-point jumps than perhaps any other team in college basketball, but appear to be very well coached by Earl Grant (moving to a zone late in the second half briefly upset the Tar Heels). Boston College failed to make a three-point shot in the game, ending 0-6. According to Bryan Ives, it was the first time since November 1990 – a span of 1,149 games – that the Tar Heels did not allow a three-pointer.
6. Nance helped on the boards, especially on offense. Bacot did his usual heavy work on the offensive glass and grabbed five, but Nance matched it with three. That helped Carolina maintain a whopping 19-3 lead in second chance points.
7. Absolutely right that Caleb Love didn’t have his best game as the Tar Heel. It’s also true that he made two big shots as Boston College pared it to a one-point game in under six minutes by converting a three-pointer and hitting a loose ball. That excitement quickly pushed it back to a six-point lead. He didn’t shoot well, but he’s still the guy who wants to get all the big shots. He also finished with 16 points.
8. RJ Davis was a lifesaver on a night when it was difficult for either side to get three points. The junior guard hit four of them on his way to 18 points. Both teams combined, aside from Davis, hit six three-pointers.
9. Funny moment in the arena during the second half as the video board showed highlights of Luke Maye and then Maye himself, who was in town on a short break from his career abroad. The caption read: “Luke Maye/Drake Maye’s Brother”. The camera then pand down the aisle… where it found Drake Maye shown with the caption “Drake Maye/Luke Maye’s Brother”.
10. The game also marked the debut of an in-arena light show at the sub-4:00 media timeout. The crowd at the Smith Center seemed a bit confused at first, but overall they seemed to enjoy the lights out and an energetic downtime before the final minutes of the game.
11. Carolina has now won 15 of the last 16 against Boston College. It also completes the softer portion of the ACC schedule. A very difficult stretch begins Saturday against NC State in a lively atmosphere at the Smith Center.
12. Don’t think we’ve mentioned this before – remember that every time you watch a game at the Smith Center for the first time, you go to Guest Services outside Section 126 to get your certificate receive. Two young Tar Heels were autographed by Armando Bacot on Tuesday night, making for a great reminder at a time when printed tickets are hard to come by. Unfortunately can’t guarantee the Bacot signature, but the certificate alone makes a fun souvenir.