Tar Heels Torch Notre Dame, Advance to ACC Quarterfinals
By Trey Scott
CHARLOTTE – No. 5 seed North Carolina wasted no time asserting its dominance in the ACC Tournament, rolling past No. 12 seed Notre Dame 76-56 in Wednesday’s second-round matchup at the Spectrum Center. The Tar Heels (22-12) set the tone early, never trailing in the contest, and punched their ticket to the quarterfinals against Wake Forest.
Charlotte native Jae’Lyn Withers delivered a career performance, draining a career-high seven three-pointers on his way to a game-best 21 points. His early shooting spree helped UNC build a 43-29 halftime lead, and the Tar Heels never looked back.
“It does [open things up],” UNC head coach Hubert Davis said. “We’ve talked a lot about generating good threes through penetration, post touches, and offensive rebounding. Today, we did that really well, and not just J-Wit’s threes—everyone’s threes were the result of unselfish offense.”
UNC shot 48.3% from the field and 46.4% from beyond the arc, hitting 13 threes—the second-most in program history for an ACC Tournament game. The ball movement was exceptional, as the Tar Heels recorded 22 assists on 28 made field goals, led by freshman guard Elliot Cadeau’s 11 dimes.
“When you have that type of basketball, it’s winning basketball,” senior guard RJ Davis said. “We were making the extra pass, finding the right shot, and having fun with it.”
The Tar Heels also got a strong inside presence from Ven-Allen Lubin, who posted 17 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in three games. His efficiency in the paint complemented UNC’s perimeter attack, giving Notre Dame problems on both ends.
“They started switching everything, so we were able to take advantage of smaller guys guarding our bigs,” Davis said. “Ven was strong inside and finished well, which gave us great balance.”
UNC’s defense was just as impactful. The Tar Heels held Notre Dame to 32.3% shooting and limited ACC leading scorer Markus Burton to just 11 points on 3-of-11 shooting. Freshman Drake Powell, known for his defensive prowess, was key in disrupting Burton’s rhythm.
“Drake’s length makes it difficult for scorers,” Davis said. “We felt like putting him on Burton would make it even harder for him to get going, and I thought it worked really well.”
Momentum Into the Quarterfinals
The Tar Heels have now won seven of their last eight games, and their improved shooting efficiency has played a major role in their late-season surge. Since inserting Withers and Lubin into the starting lineup, UNC has seen its field goal percentage rise from 44% to 48.5% in conference play, while its three-point percentage has jumped from 32% to 37%.
That shooting will be tested in the quarterfinals against No. 4 seed Wake Forest on Thursday (2:30 p.m., ESPN). The Demon Deacons won the lone regular-season meeting in Winston-Salem, a 67-61 victory on Feb. 10, and are known for their aggressive perimeter defense.
“They’re good individual defenders, and they take pride in those matchups,” Davis said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.”
As the Tar Heels continue their ACC Tournament run, their balanced attack, unselfish play, and improved shooting have them trending in the right direction at the perfect time.
