CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) — The Tar Heels made good use of veterans Armando Bacot and RJ Davis on Saturday, as No. 7 North Carolina needed to get things right.
The University of North Carolina won 96-81 against Virginia Tech, with Bacot leading the way with 25 points and 12 rebounds, and Davis scoring 20 points.
Cormac Ryan had 16 points and Harrison Ingram added 12 points and 17 rebounds for the Tar Heels (20-6, 12-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who have lost three of their past five games.
“We also wanted to make another statement,” Davis said. “We were dialed in from both ends of the court.”
MJ Collins had 18 points and backup Mylijael Poteet had 15 points to lead Virginia Tech (14-11, 6-8), which suffered its fourth loss in five games. Tyler Nickel scored 14 points against his former team, while Lynn Kidd and Hunter Kattore each added 11 points.
Bacot made 11 of 16 field goals against a foul-plagued Hokies front line, contributing to his team’s shooting percentage of 51.5 percent. He scored 19 points in the second half.
“All three of their big guys fouled out. We have Armando,” Ingram said of the post advantage.
Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said the Hokies knew to pay attention to the Tar Heels’ standout duo.
“Armando Bacot has been a good player in this league for a long time, and so has RJ Davis,” Young said. “We had a good plan, but those two were better than our plan.”
The Tar Heels’ 54 points in the paint marked the team’s second-highest scoring total of the season.
“We talked about getting back to that shape, and that was a big advantage for us and Armando played great,” North Carolina coach Hubert Davis said. “I wanted to dominate points in the paint,” he said.
After Virginia Tech took a 79-72 lead, Davis scored five straight points.
“They responded really well,” Nickel said. “It shows a mature team.”
Virginia Tech shot 41.8 percent from the field and made 1 of 12 3-pointers in the second half. Those misfires nearly thwarted any chance of a comeback.
“They’re going to score, so we better score together,” Young said.
With more than three minutes left until halftime, the Tar Heels tied the most points allowed in a first half by Virginia Tech this season (44 points) and led 50-39 at halftime.
An early 10-0 run for the Tar Heels helped set the tone. North Carolina finished with a 43-31 rebound.
chip in
Nickel, a reserve guard who played as a freshman at the University of North Carolina last season, made four threes, making his first two 3-pointers. …The Hokies and Tar Heels have not played each other since December 2022, making this the only scheduled matchup of the season. …Saturday’s result ended Virginia Tech’s series winning streak at two.
big picture
Virginia Tech: The Hokies, who allowed their highest points of the season, had a few mini-rallies in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to put pressure on the Tar Heels. The Hokies have been outrebounded in four of their last five games.
North Carolina State: Holding a half-game lead in the ACC, the Tar Heels needed a rejuvenating outing, which was certainly one they deserved for a team that moved up in the standings. About the height of No. 3 In ranking.
next
Virginia Tech: Hosts No. 21 Virginia on Monday night.
North Carolina: Visited Virginia on February 24th.
___
Get voting alerts and updates on AP Top 25 Basketball all season long. Please register here.
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-Basketball