UNC thrives late, escapes Tennessee with a 78-73 victory

North Carolina won a national championship a little more than eight months ago in large part because of its poise and composure, and its ability to not only withstand the most pressurized, chaotic late-game situations, but also to thrive in them.

Again and again, those characteristics served the Tar Heels well throughout last March, and early April. And they did so again on Sunday, when UNC, which trailed throughout against Tennessee, found a way in the final minute and prevailed with a 78-73 victory.

The victory was UNC’s fifth under coach Roy Williams amid these kinds of conditions: on the road, in a non-conference game, against a top-20 opponent. The seventh-ranked Tar Heels (9-1) hadn’t won a game like that since 2013 at Michigan State. And they wouldn’t have won on Sunday if not for their finish.

With a little more than one minute remaining, No. 20 Tennessee held a 70-67 lead.

From there, though, the Tar Heels (10-1) scored the next nine consecutive points: two on a pair of Joel Berry free throws that cut Tennessee’s lead to one, three on Kenny Williams’ 3-pointer that gave UNC the lead, for good, and then four more at the free-throw line, again, with Theo Pinson’s three throws.

Berry, the senior point guard, led the Tar Heels with 21 points – 13 of them in the second half, when UNC recovered from a 38-32 halftime deficit. The Tar Heels during the first half labored through one of their sloppiest halves of the season, and Tennessee’s defense, reliant on pressure and pressing, forced UNC into 12 turnovers.

The Tar Heels committed only four turnovers after halftime. Defensively, meanwhile, UNC forced Tennessee (7-2) to go cold during the final 9½ minutes – a stretch in which the Volunteers made just three of their 19 shots from the field. Roy Williams, the UNC coach, credited the victory to improved second-half rebounding and limiting turnovers.

And the execution during the final minute.

“Our last possessions, we got something good out of every one of them,” he said.

No possession was better for the Tar Heels in the final minute than the one that ended with Kenny Williams’ 3-pointer from the left side, close to the Tar Heels’ bench. Officials reviewed it to make sure that Williams’ feet were indeed behind the 3-point line, and it was clear they were.

The shot gave UNC just its third lead of the second half. The Tar Heels held a 53-51 lead with about 12 minutes remaining, but that advantage was fleeting.

Tennessee needed just 17 seconds to reclaim its lead with a 3-pointer from Chris Darrington, and the Volunteers remained in front until Garrison Brooks' layup gave UNC a 67-66 lead with a little less than three minutes remaining. Tennessee again quickly went back in front, and stayed there, until Williams' 3 with 35 seconds remaining.

Along the way, the Tar Heels came close to seizing control but never quite could, even while Tennessee missed shot after shot from the field. UNC once missed 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions that, had they gone in, would have allowed it to take the lead.

UNC, though, kept hanging around, until it finally asserted itself, at least offensively, during the final minute.

“The first thing Coach said when we got into the locker room was just, ‘The young guys grew up a little bit today,’ ” said Kenny Williams, who finished with 15 points and was one of four UNC players to score in double figures. “And I think we all did.”

This story was originally published December 17, 2017 at 5:14 PM with the headline "UNC thrives late, escapes Tennessee with a 78-73 victory."