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Adam Lucas
1. Game Caleb Love. The Tar Heels are one of eight teams remaining after beating UCLA 73–66.
2. Love, which was not good in the first half, was just sensational in the second half. He made 10 of his 16 field goals and five of his nine from 3-point range for 27 points per half (the rest of the team had 16). The sophomore quarterback finished the game with 30 points.
3. Carolina scored a lot of points in the segment. With less than a minute left in possession, the Tar Heels hit 14 of their last 15 shots from three-point range and ten in a row. It ended when R. J. Davis missed the lane and Armando Backot deflected it back. The Tar Heels scored on their last five possessions and ended the game 12-2.
4. Bold call by Hubert Davis to set Brady Manek half court with 4:30 left. At that point, Manek didn’t shoot in the half, was pretty much behind himself, and Karolina was two behind. Manek waved it. Carolina also played against Manek from a timeout with just over three minutes remaining. It’s pretty simple: Hubert Davies has confidence in Manek, who finished 5 out of 13 with 13 points.
5. Johnny Juzang is one of the first players in a month or so to have any semblance of offensive success against Leaky Black’s defense. Juzang showed 14 points, but was only 2 out of 8 in the second half.
6. After dividing the ball very well in Fort Worth, Carolina out of necessity went one on one against the Bruins. The Tar Heels had just 11 assists on 27 field goals.
7. Carolina quietly got a few good minutes from Puff Johnson in that game. Faced with a difficult defensive challenge against Johnny Juzang, Johnson mostly stayed with him all around the court, especially in a key second-half stretch when Hubert Davis beat an emotional Brady Manek. Johnson was credited with two rebounds, but was actually responsible for another offensive rebound, which he saved under the Tar Heel basket. Davis (who coached a terrific game) relied on Johnson twice in the second half – replacing Backot once and Maneka once – and the sophomore pulled through.
8. Armando Backot passed Ronnie Shavlik (who also ranks first and second on this list) for sixth on the ACC rebounding list in a single season. Next on this list is Tim Duncan. Backot completed his 28th double-double of the season with 14 points and 15 rebounds. The ACC single-season record in this category is Duncan with 29, meaning Backot could equal him in the next round.
9. Large turnout of Carolina basketball alumni in Philadelphia for the game. An unofficial and probably incomplete list includes Tyler Hansbrough, Marcus Ginyard, Jesse Holly, Bobby Frazor, Shammond Williams, Dave Hanners, Melvin Scott, and Walker Miller. Roy Williams, of course, was also in the stands of the Wells Fargo Center.
10. Carolina will face the nation’s favorite, St. Peters, on Sunday, time to be confirmed, for a chance to advance to the Final Four.