‘The vibe was good’: How UNC turned an amped crowd into a big win over rival NC State

When North Carolina has lost this season, it hasn’t always been close.

Jalen Washington sat on the bench and cried after UNC’s loss at Duke. The Tar Heels trudged off the floor after a tough defeat in Clemson, where they were outplayed by the Tigers in a drubbing at Littlejohn Coliseum. This Tar Heel team with talent, with expectations, had spent much of the season searching for itself.

So when the buzzer sounded Wednesday night, marking a 97-73 win over N.C. State, something felt different — sounded different.

“The crowd was a huge impact today,” UNC freshman guard Ian Jackson said. “They helped us out tremendously. I appreciate them for coming out during the snow. It was great. To have an arena full of majority students. The vibe was good. They were loud the whole game.”

With roads in the Triangle covered in snow and ice, and anyone who had to drive to the arena asked to stay home, UNC officials opened the lower bowl to students, creating the kind of raucous atmosphere the Dean E. Smith Center so rarely sees in the regular season. For one night, it was just students — loud and unfiltered — living and dying with every possession.

“The energy in the Smith Center was a huge determining factor of our energy out there on the floor,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “I just can’t thank the fans enough… a number of students came to be able to support their fellow classmates. And again, it’s really neat that they were able to walk here and able to support.”

From the opening tip, it was clear North Carolina was feeding off that energy. The Tar Heels sprinted to a 16-6 lead in under seven minutes of play. And unlike so many games this season, they never let up.

UNC shot a blistering 57.4% from the field, its highest in an ACC game this season. The Tar Heels doubled N.C. State’s points in the paint with 52-26, crushed the Wolfpack on the boards (40-21), and racked up 21 second-chance points — all of which were season highs in conference play.

“I thought it was one of our most, if not the most, complete game that we played all season,” Davis said.

RJ Davis led the team with 21 points, continuing a senior season that has been as much about endurance as it has about excellence.

After tough losses to Clemson, Wake Forest and Duke, RJ Davis has often spoken about trying to find joy amid the struggles. At Wake Forest, he spoke about his faith in his teammates. At Clemson, he insisted his team hadn’t lost its fight. And after falling to Duke, standing outside the locker room once again, he adamantly refused to waver in his optimism.

Wednesday, Davis didn’t have to talk about joy — he simply played with it.

From the opening tip, he hit pull-up jumpers, pushed the tempo and played with a freedom that felt infectious. His energy was unmistakable, and he said he felt it from the crowd.

“Huge shoutout to the fans that came through,” Davis said. “Obviously, given the weather and the conditions, for them to come through tonight and show their support… I feel like we fed off their energy. It was a lot of students in there, so it kind of felt like young energy was gifted to us a little bit.”

That energy translated onto the court, where the Tar Heels did not trail at any point for the second consecutive game.

“Especially in the first half, we all took it upon ourselves to compete,” Davis said. “You should have fun competing.”

Former UNC small forward Harrison Ingram, a San Antonio Spurs prospect who was back visiting the team earlier in the week due to the NBA All-Star break, had delivered a message to his former teammates about finding that joy. A “competitive bully,” as described by Davis, Ingram spoke to the team about the joy and emotion of competing.

“He said one of the things that he really appreciated most about being here was how he was able to play with a smile and he was able to be himself,” Trimble said. “I think that kind of just gave a realization to some guys. We were in a tough spot with what our record is. We know this isn’t the year that we wanted it to be. Just to hear that, especially from a guy who was here last year, was huge for us.”

“At the end of the day, basketball should be played with a lot of emotion, a lot of passion,” Davis added. “I think a lot of the times throughout the year, we were missing that. We just weren’t playing with emotion. I think today we did that, and that allowed our joy to be shown.”

Jackson and Lubin both agreed this was the most fun they had all season. Trimble echoed that sentiment, saying that aside from last year’s home win against Duke, this was the most fun he’s ever had playing at the Smith Center. They credited that to the crowd — in particular, their classmates in attendance.

Hubert Davis saw it, too.

“It was just loud from the start,” he said. “I felt it. The players felt it, and it really did make a difference for them.

UNC’s snow game has precedent.

Twenty-five years ago, a winter storm hit Chapel Hill, and with ticket-holders stuck at home, UNC opened up the Smith Center doors — and lower bowl. A struggling North Carolina team on a four-game losing streak fed off the student-heavy crowd, upset a ranked Maryland squad, and used that momentum to launch itself to the Final Four.

This UNC team has five league games left in the regular season, and its NCAA Tournament bubble is bursting. If this season is going to become something more than a collection of ups and downs, if it’s going to be remembered for more than disappointment, Wednesday can’t just be a one-night revival.

For one snowy night, though, in a season that has been as much about searching as anything else, UNC found itself.

And maybe, just maybe, the Tar Heels found something they can carry forward. The next test comes Saturday against Virginia at the Smith Center, and Trimble knows what it will take.

“I mean, it’s hard when you’re at Clemson, you’re not having a great game at all, they’re up 20-something — then that’s when it gets really hard,” Trimble said. “[But] when we’re able to just get lost in the game, and just play for each other… no matter what the impact of the game is, you don’t even think about it.

That’s just what I was trying to preach: get lost in it, play for each other and just play with a smile. If you play with that joy, the impact and the outcome will always be better than playing with a sad face.”

This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 6:00 AM.