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GREENSBORO – North Carolina’s struggles shooting the basketball returned to the playing court Thursday night, as the errant Tar Heels fell, 68-59, to Virginia in the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament at the Greensboro Coliseum.
UNC converted only 35.8 percent of its shots, and just 28.2 percent when removing RJ Davis’ 8-for-14 effort. Davis led UNC with 24 points following by 11 from Caleb Love. No other Tar Heel was in double figures.
In addition to its shooting woes, the Heels allowed multiple big runs by the Cavaliers, including 16-4 in the first half and 11-2 in the second.
Carolina is 20-13 and will await its fate on Sunday to see if it will be a part of the NCAA Tournament, which is highly unlikely. The NIT would still be a possibility, but the Tar Heels could turn down an invitation if they choose.
Here are some noteworthy tidbits from UNC’s loss to Virginia:
*UNC managed just two fast break points for the game, which were also its only two points off turnovers, and came on free throws by Davis.
*In the first half, Love was 0-for-5 from the floor, 0-for-3 from the perimeter, Armando Bacot was 1-for-3, and Pete Nance was 0-for-3, 0-for-1, combining for only two points on 1-for-11 shooting.
*Key stats: Points off turnovers – UVA 14, UNC 2; Fast break points, UVA 11, UNC 2; Blocked shots, UVA 8, UNC 2; Steals, UVA 8, UNC 5; Dunks, UVA 4-for-4, UNC 0-for-0; Bench points, UVA 10, UNC 5.
*Also: UNC scored on 26 of 62 possessions, which is 41.9 percent, while UVA scored on 32 of 57 possessions, which is 56.1 percent.
*UNC had 11 assists, six of which were by Love, five of which were kickouts after penetrating.
*Three Tar Heels off the bench got into the game, which Seth Trimble playing 13 seconds, Puff Johnson was in for 19 minutes and D’Marco Dunn 11 minutes. Johnson and Dunn combined to shoot 2-for-6, including 0-for-2 from the perimeter, with six rebounds. They combined four five points.
*Armando Bacot played 21 minutes scoring four points and grabbing three rebounds, so over the last five games, Bacot, who has either been injured or in foul trouble, averaged 8.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per contest.
*No UNC team has had a winning record in ACC play and not gotten into the NCAA Tournament since 1974, and no UNC team has won 20 games and not gotten in since 1974 before the field expanded.
*If the Tar Heels miss the NCAA Tournament, which is likely, the pandemic will save it from not making the NCAAs twice in a four-season span.
*UNC has lost 53 games in the last four season, and UNC has lost double-figure number of games in five of the last six seasons. It has also dropped 10 or more games in eight of the last 11 seasons and nine of the last 14.