In a throwback championship rematch, in a throwback atmosphere – with nearly 20,000 fans in the Dean E. Smith Center for the first time in almost two years – Hubert Davis turned to a throwback approach.
During the halftime break, with his team somehow leading No. 24 Michigan by two points despite shooting just 36 percent from the field, the first-year head coach scanned the box score and noticed an interesting crinkle — Michigan’s 7-foot-1 All-American center Hunter Dickinson already had two fouls.
After spending the offseason prioritizing the team’s new focus on perimeter play, looking to pick up the first statement win of his career, he turned to his big men and told them to attack.
Every. Single. Time.
After forcing foul number three on the previous play, junior forward Armando Bacot got into his usual position on the right block, drove left and spun back into the body of his former AAU teammate for an and-one, sending Michigan’s most dependable defender and scoring option to the bench. From there, the Tar Heels bullied the Wolverines – both offensively and defensively – to build a 25-point lead and coast to a 72-51 win.
“We went to me three or four plays in a row, and I just got into my bag and did what I do,” Bacot said.
In UNC’s previous two tests against ranked opponents – now No. 2 Purdue and No. 13 Tennessee in the Hall of Fame Tipoff in mid-November – the team was dominated inside, getting outscored by 24 and 32 points in that paint.
Although the Tar Heels only held a 34-20 advantage in the category on Wednesday, each basket wore down the Wolverines, and simultaneously, brought the crowd back to life.
In what became maybe Bacot’s biggest home win in a truly energetic atmosphere, he and sophomore forward transfer Dawson Garcia combined for 25 points and 18 rebounds and anchored a defense that held Michigan to just 35 percent shooting.
