****************************************************************************************
****************************************************************************************
North Carolina has had a couple more competitive battles in the second half this season that Hubert Davis might have hoped for. The schedule has consisted of feisty mid-majors who have been ready to throw their best shot at the nation's top-ranked team.
Thursday afternoon' 89-81 victory over an upstart Portland squad in the first round of the Phil Knight Invitational was no different. The Pilots were extremely impressive on the offensive end, and I firmly believe that would have taken down a healthy dose of Power Five competitors with that quality of play.
Unlike some other games in which the opponent cut a big lead to single digits, Portland held a 73-69 lead with 5:59 remaining. From there the Tar Heels closed out the game by a 20-8 margin.
In this segment of Film Review we look at some of the biggest plays down the stretch: