ATLANTA – Georgia Tech outscored North Carolina, 19-6, over the final seven minutes to hand the Tar Heels a 72-67 loss on Wednesday night, marking the first time in seven years Roy Williams’s program has opened ACC play with back-to-back losses.
UNC (5-4, 0-2 ACC) took a 61-53 lead on Leaky Black’s layup with 6:53 to play, capping a 12-1 run that shifted the momentum back to the visiting team’s sideline. It was all Yellow Jackets from the point forward, however, as Josh Pastner’s squad made six of its final seven field goal attempts while holding the Tar Heels to 2-of-9 shooting down the stretch and forcing two turnovers.
Georgia Tech guards Michael Devoe and Jose Alvarado scored game-highs with 20 points apiece, while Armando Bacot paced UNC with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Black was the only other Tar Heel in double figures with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Garrison Brooks added nine points and 11 rebounds.
For the second time in three games, Kerwin Walton delivered daggers of the three-point variety after halftime to fuel a Tar Heel run. The freshman wing made a trio of treys in a span of five possessions to turn a tied game into a five-point UNC lead.
UNC shot 44.6 percent from the floor and made a season-high eight three-pointers on 20 attempts, although it wasn’t enough to make up for 18 turnovers. The Yellow Jackets shot 52.9 percent from the floor, including 61.5 percent after halftime, and 45.5 percent from long range.
The Tar Heels outrebounded their opponent, 37-25.
Turnovers Spoil UNC’s Chances Yet Again
The Tar Heels played like the better team for the entirety of the first half. They assisted on a majority of their made field goals, pounded the ball down low and attacked the passing lanes on the defensive end. Even so, their ability to turn the ball over in a variety of ways kept Georgia Tech within striking distance.
When Jose Alvarado scored on a layup to cut Georgia Tech’s deficit to 28-26 with 2:39 remaining in the first half, UNC had as many turnovers as it had made field goals (10).
Georgia Tech finally began exploiting the Tar Heels’ ball screens with its small lineup after halftime. UNC never addressed its turnover issues, though, thereby providing the Yellow Jackets with plenty of opportunities to rally for their first ACC victory.
Georgia Tech scored 19 points off UNC’s 18 turnovers. The Tar Heels turned the ball over on 26.5 percent of their possessions.
New Starting Lineup
Roy Williams rarely loses to N.C. State – he’s only lost five times in 42 games against the Wolfpack – so it should come as no surprise that such a defeat would prompt a drastic change in UNC’s starting lineup. Williams started three freshmen for first time since 2007 as Kerwin Walton, Day’Ron Sharpe and Andrew Platek joined Armando Bacot and R.J. Davis for the tip.
Most notably absent was ACC Preseason Player of the Year Garrison Brooks, who had started every game – with the exception of Senior Night last season — since the final game of his freshman season in 2017-18. Platek made his 10th career start.
No Early Deficit
If the starting lineup change accomplished anything, it’s that the Tar Heels grabbed an early lead and did not let go in the first half. Wednesday marked the first time since the season opener that UNC has not trailed in the opening half after trailing by double digits in the first half in six of its previous seven games.
The Tar Heels led 35-29 at halftime, which represented their second halftime lead in the past seven games.
Up Next
UNC will stay on the road for a third straight game when it travels to Miami on Jan. 5. The Hurricanes are 4-3 (0-2 ACC) after losing at Virginia Tech, 80-78, on Tuesday. The Tar Heels were originally scheduled to play Syracuse on Jan. 2 in their ACC home opener, but that game was postponed due to COVID-19 issues within the Orange’s program.
