Heels surge to win over Wisconsin

CHAPEL HILL -- Kendall Marshall said he can sense these things - that he develops a feeling before Harrison Barnes does what he did in the second half of North Carolina's 60-57 victory Wednesday night against Wisconsin. But more than a feeling, Marshall, the Tar Heels' sophomore point guard, can see it, too.

"He gets that look on his face," Marshall said of Barnes, a sophomore forward. "He wants the ball. And he wants to make that play. So I feel like our job is to just give it to him."

Midway through the second half at the Smith Center, the Tar Heels (6-1) found themselves in a slow, prodding game against the Badgers (6-1), who prefer the pace that way. Wisconsin led 36-31 with 13 minutes, 19 seconds to play, and the score was the same one minute later.

By the time the Tar Heels had possession with less than 12 minutes to play, they were still down five, and they'd scored all of 10 points in a stretch of offensive futility that lasted more than 16 minutes. Then, Marshall said, Barnes got that look.

Barnes made a 3 with 11:40 to play to cut the Badgers' lead to two. By the time Barnes' next 3 fell through the net, with 6:31 to play, the Tar Heels were up six, the crowd was on its feet, roaring, and Roy Williams was urging his team on from the sideline, his jacket tossed to the side.

Fifth-ranked North Carolina, which will play at No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday, didn't play well in stretches against the No. 9 Badgers. But the Tar Heels saved their best for that key second-half surge - an 18-5 run that gave them a 49-41 lead with 3:18 to play.

A thing of beauty, it wasn't. Not that anyone expected it to be against Wisconsin, which prefers a slow, deliberate style that forces opponents to win ugly, or not at all.

Afterward, Williams said he approached Bo Ryan, the Wisconsin coach, and said, "I'm glad I don't play you anymore."

The Tar Heels finished with their lowest point total of the season but, Williams said, "Sometimes you need to win like that."

Earlier in the day, Williams encountered Barnes' mother. He said he told her that her son would "have a big game tonight."

"And he did," Williams said.

Barnes finished with a game-high 20 points for the Tar Heels, who led by as many as nine in the first half and 25-24 at halftime. As satisfied as he was with Barnes' performance, Williams was equally so with the Tar Heels' defense, which exercised patience against the Badgers' patient offense.

Wisconsin entered the Smith Center ranked second nationally in the 3-point field goal percentage. The Badgers were making better than 47 percent of their 3s.

Against North Carolina, though, Wisconsin made 8 of 28 3-point attempts.

Still, the Badgers chipped away at that nine-point deficit they faced in the first half, and they were controlling the game near the midway mark of the second half when Barnes sensed something needed to change.

"We just kind of saw the momentum going their way," he said. "... (We had to) build that momentum back up and get something going."

So he did. He made that one 3 from the right wing to ignite North Carolina's rally. And then came a layup. Half of Barnes' 20 points came in the final 11:40.

North Carolina 60,

Wisconsin 57

Percentages: FG .359, FT .500. 3-Point Goals: 8-28, .286 (Taylor 3-11, Berggren 2-5, Wilson 1-1, Kaminsky 1-2, Brust 1-4, Evans 0-1, Bruesewitz 0-2, Gasser 0-2). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 4 (Evans 3, Berggren). Turnovers: 4 (Berggren 2, Gasser, Evans). Steals: 9 (Berggren 3, Brust 3, Gasser 2, Bruesewitz). Technical Fouls: None.

Percentages: FG .422, FT .792. 3-Point Goals: 3-9, .333 (Barnes 2-3, Bullock 1-3, Marshall 0-1, Hairston 0-2). Team Rebounds: 3. Blocked Shots: 6 (Henson 5, Hairston). Turnovers: 14 (Marshall 4, Barnes 3, Strickland 2, Henson 2, Hairston, McAdoo, Bullock). Steals: 2 (Barnes, Henson). Technical Fouls: None.

Att.-21,750. Officials-Karl Hess, Ed Corbett, Tony Greene.