UNC basketball comes up short at Florida State, 82-75
North Carolina couldn’t finish strong in the final two minutes of its 82-75 loss at Florida State, but found itself a player in the process.
UNC redshirt freshman Anthony Harris made his season debut when Leaky Black picked up his third foul of the game in the second half. He provided an unexpected boost, considering he hadn’t played since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Dec. 30, 2019, against Yale.
Harris had two assists and drew a foul on an illegal screen to spark the Heels on a 19-8 run that culminated in a Caleb Love steal and dunk. UNC trailed FSU 62-60 with 8:39 left.
When the Seminoles ran back out to a 10-point lead, it was Harris with a layup and a 3-pointer who cut the deficit in half to 72-67. Harris finished with five points and three assists in just nine minutes of play.
He was a bright spot for the Heels, but he couldn’t lift them in the final 2:22 when they pulled within 74-73 with 2:22 left. Carolina didn’t make a field goal the rest of the game as FSU’s defense contested every shot.
R.J. Davis led the Heels with 16 points, and Kerwin Walton added 14 for Carolina. The Seminoles were led by M.J. Walker’s game-high 21 points.
FSU (7-2, 3-1 ACC) ran its home winning streak in ACC play to 20 straight. The Seminoles led for most of the first half, using a 20-5 run to take a 30-19 lead. But Carolina (8-5, 3-3) responded with a big run of its own. Four of the five first half 3-pointers by the Heels came during an 18-5 stretch as they reclaimed the lead, 37-35.
Up to that point, the Heels committed just three turnovers through the first 18-plus minutes of the game. Over the next four minutes — two to end the first half and two to start the second — they had six turnovers. It allowed the Noles to forge ahead 54-43.
Here are the earlier updates:
Another close finish?
It’s shaping up to be another game that goes down to the final seconds. Each time Florida State has made a run and grabbed a double-digit lead, the Tar Heels have answered to pull within a basket.
It appears that UNC freshman Caleb Love, who has struggled shooting this season, is gaining confidence as the game progresses. He’d shot just 9-for-50 from 3-point range this season, but has made 3 of 6 from behind the arc against FSU. Love had 11 points at the under-8 minute timeout.
Harris debut
UNC redshirt freshman guard Anthony Harris made his season debut in the second half against the Seminoles. Harris did not play in the first half. He hasn’t played since Dec. 30, 2019 against Yale when he tore the ACL in his right knee.
FSU leads at halftime
Carolina used an 18-5 run to erase an 11-point deficit and take a 37-35 lead on Caleb Love’s second 3-pointer. But from there, the Heels got sloppy with the ball to close out the remaining 1:53 of the half. Overall, they had done a good job with the Seminoles pressure on defense. But Florida State took a 41-37 lead into intermission after UNC committed three straight turnovers once it took the lead.
Kerwin Walton leads the Heels with eight points including two 3-pointers. Garrison Brooks and R.J. Davis have added seven points each. FSU was led by M.J. Walker’s 14 points and 10 points from Rayquan Evans.
Noles still hot
FSU is shooting 60 percent from the field connecting on nine of its first 15 shots to build a 27-19 lead with 6:35 left in the first half. Carolina has had some success in the post with Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot combining for 12 points. But the Heels’ perimeter shooters are cold, shooting a combined 1-for-7 from 3-point range.
Barnes will not play
Florida State’s highly-touted freshman Scottie Barnes is out for the game due to an ankle injury. Barnes leads the Noles with 4.1 assists per game and is the second leading scorer at 11.1 points per game. The 6-foot-9 guard did not start for the first time this season in their win over N.C. State on Wednesday. He turned his ankle in the second half of that game.
Starting lineups
North Carolina will start: Caleb Love, Kerwin Walton, Leaky Black, Armando Bacot, Garrison Brooks. It’s the first time in five games the Heels stuck with the same lineup from the previous game. Florida State will start Anthony Polite, Rayquan Evans, Raiquan Gray, M.J. Walker, Balsa Koprivica.
This story was originally published January 16, 2021 at 11:28 AM.