GREENSBORO, N.C. – North Carolina once again erased a double-digit deficit, but faltered down the stretch in losing to No. 15 Florida State, 69-66, in ACC Tournament semifinal action on Friday night.
The Tar Heels (18-10, 10-6 ACC) trailed by as many as 13 points in the first half before utilizing an 11-0 run to take a 51-46 lead midway through the second half. UNC led 64-62 with 3:15 to play, but then missed its next seven field goal attempts as the Seminoles took a four-point lead and held on to advance to the ACC Tournament title game against No. 4 seed Georgia Tech on Saturday night.
Caleb Love (13 points, 4-of-14 FG) and R.J. Davis (7 points, 2-of-10 FG) both took ill-advised shots in the final two minutes and Day’Ron Sharpe missed a pair of free throws with 21 seconds left that would have cut FSU’s lead to one point. The Tar Heels missed 11 of their 25 free throw attempts.
UNC, playing its third game in as many days, lacked the energy early it showcased in Thursday’s 81-73 win over Virginia Tech before finding enough juice to make its second-half charge. Florida State, on the other hand, was making its postseason debut after COVID-19 issues knocked Duke out of the tournament on Thursday.
UNC shot 33.8% from the floor, including 33.3% from 3-point range. Florida State connected on 45.3% of its field goal attempts. The Tar Heels outrebounded their opponent, 42-39, and held an 18-10 edge in second-chance points.
FSU committed 18 turnovers to UNC’s 12, yet crafted a 19-15 edge in points off turnovers.
Walton Proves His Worth
UNC’s offense is at its best when Kerwin Walton is making perimeter shots. The freshman wing had a quiet opening two rounds of postseason play, although the Tar Heels’ size advantage in the post mitigated his 2-of-7 shooting from long range. FSU’s length was equally effective in the first half, holding Walton scoreless with just one field goal attempt.
When UNC made its charge in the second half, Walton was the catalyst, knocking down a trio of 3-pointers in a two-minute, two-second span to turn a six-point deficit into a tie game at 46-46 with 12:25 to play. He finished with 11 points and five rebounds.
Kessler Struggles
Walker Kessler provided a textbook example of the inconsistencies that come with freshmen working through the adjustments required even at this late stage of the season. Two weeks ago, the freshman center was the best player on the court against the Seminoles, scoring a career-high 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting with eight rebounds and four blocked shots. That effort earned him a plus/minus ratio of (+11).
In Friday’s rematch, Kessler was tentative at best in his nine minutes, scoring two points and grabbing three rebounds. He also earned a team-low (-13) in plus/minus.
First Half Woes
The Seminoles’ physical perimeter defense frustrated Caleb Love from the start and their size down low negated UNC’s advantage, which was key in ACC Tournament wins over Notre Dame and Virginia Tech. The Tar Heels’ first assist came with 4:21 remaining before halftime and that basket was a baseline 18-footer.
UNC missed nine of its first 10 field goal attempts and shot 26.7% for the half, including a 14.3% effort from 3-point range (1-of-7). The Tar Heels were 3-of-11 on shots at the rim and even struggled from the free throw line, converting 7-of-14 attempts. They did force 10 turnovers, but were only able to turn those FSU miscues into five points.
ACCT Notes
UNC fell to 104-49 all-time in the ACC Tournament, including a 42-20 record in Greensboro.
Up Next
The Tar Heels’ first postseason tournament has concluded and they will now turn their attention to Selection Sunday to find out their seeding and bracket for the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. BracketMatrix.com tracks 131 bracket projections, and the 101 brackets updated as of Friday morning project UNC as an 8-seed on average.
