SOUTH BEND, IN – Sometimes, the difference between winning and losing close games are what some call the “little things.”

Only that offensive rebounding, especially within the lore of North Carolina’s basketball history, is not a minor detail to the game. Never has been, and likely never will be.

With that in mind, however, the 2022-23 edition of the Tar Heels haven’t been on par with more typical Carolina clubs, especially with respect to getting production from grabbing its own missed shots. A recent uptick here of late, however, is worth noting, and was the key to the Heels sneaking out of Purcell Pavilion with a 63-59 victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night.

The numbers are staggering: 23 offensive rebounds leading to 23 second-chance points. That is Carolina basketball, and Roy Williams surely appreciated the effort from afar, as he regularly said for decades rebounding is the most important stat in the game.

Second-year UNC Coach Hubert Davis aligns himself similarly, which is why he was so pleased with his group’s effort on the glass in beating the Fighting Irish, especially in the second half.

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"We had 18 offensive rebounds, I think, against N.C. State, so we're getting better at that,” Davis said. “The thing that I always talk to them about is, you've got to check three boxes. One, you've got to defend, I thought we did a good job of that. Two, you've got to rebound, we definitely did that. Three, you've got to take care of the basketball.

“In the second half, we did that. Even if you shoot 33 percent from the field, you still put yourself in a position to win and that's what happened tonight."

The 33.3 percent UNC shot from the field is a season-low, and it’s 2-for-23 from the perimeter is its third lowest 3-point shooting outing (9.5 percent) ever in a win.

The bulk of Carolina’s damage came after halftime. Sixteen of its offensive boards (on 42 missed shots) and 16 second-chance points inflated UNC’s points per possession number to 46.2 percent when it was in the 20s for much of the night.

The key stretch came inside the final 4:10 of the contest when the Tar Heels (17-11, 9-8 ACC) scored on three consecutive possessions after getting offensive boards. On one, they had five additional opportunities, scoring on the final one for a 53-52 advantage, and the lead for good. Another game them a 55-52 edge, and the third made it 57-54.

That stretch was the difference between UNC winning and losing.

“For sure,” graduate forward Pete Nance said. “We knew we were going to have a size advantage inside, so that was definitely a big emphasis getting to the glass.”

As Hubert Davis noted, Carolina has trended in a positive direction on the boards of late. The Heels out-dueled the Irish, 52-33, overall, three days after pulling down 18 offensive boards in a loss at NC State. In fact, in UNC’s last four games, it has grabbed 38.6 percent of its missed shots while scoring 1.03 points per offensive board.

In the three games before this stretch, Carolina pulled down 36.1 percent of its misses averaging just .81 points per. Again, the difference in close games can be found in the details, and the offensive glass is a major detail, especially for Armando Bacot, who is getting double and triple-teamed. But hitting the boards can be an equalizer for Carolina’s all-time leading rebounder.

“I think in the second half, I did a better job of getting offensive rebounds,” he said. “Trying to create and trying to score quick because I have no time.”

A little thing for some teams is a huge one for the Tar Heels, and they are increasingly making opponents pay.