Behind an explosive performance from Jae’Lyn Withers, Carolina raced past Notre Dame in the Second Round of the ACC Tournament, to advance to the quarterfinals of the ACC Tournament. Withers has played well for UNC after being inserted into the starting lineup at Clemson nearly a month ago, but today, he had his best showing, scoring a career-high points, on seven made threes (a UNC record for made threes in the ACC Tournament), to fuel a great offensive outing for the team, in the easy win. Carolina shot 48% from the field as a team, including shooting 46% from behind the arc, on 13 makes. It wasn’t just Withers who played well, so did Ven-Alleb Lubin, who produced a 17 point, 10 rebound, double-double, as he was a force on the offensive glass, grabbing 5 offensive rebounds. RJ Davis was the only other Tar Heel to score in double figures, scoring 13 points, on 3-7 shooting, with all of his makes coming from the outside.
Notre Dame was a tired team entering today’s game, which is why it was important for Carolina to get off to a fast start, which they did, running out to a 17-5 lead. From there, Carolina was able to control and manage the game, just like they had done during their six-game winning streak, before that was snapped in the regular season finale against Duke.
The Tar Heels still have work to do in the ACC Tournament, to ensure themselves a spot in the NCAA Tournament next week. Many bracketologists believe that Carolina has to win at least three games, to move themselves from outside the projected field, inside the field of 68. Today was the first of many wins Carolina is hoping to secure in Charlotte, as RJ Davis, Jae’Lyn Withers and Ty Claude all look to extend their college basketball careers at least one more week.
Withers Shines: Like Brady Manek was in 2022, Withers has been the spark plug that has turned the season around for Carolina, and that carried over in a big way today. He set a new UNC record for most made threes in an ACC Tournament game with seven, and he paced Carolina from start to finish, with big shot after big shot from the outside. Withers becomes the first UNC player since RJ Davis from a season ago to make seven threes in a game.
Perimeter Shooting: Behind the big game from Jae’Lyn Withers, Carolina enjoyed a big shooting night from the outside, shooting 46% on 13 makes. Outside of Withers, RJ Davis, Drake Powell, Elliot Cadeau, and Jalen Washington all made outside shots, giving Carolina perimeter scoring balance, another theme we saw during the six-game winning streak. When Carolina has that type of balance from the outside, it makes them harder to defend, and it opens up driving lanes for the guards, and makes it easier for the bigs to get better positioning under the basket. It was important for Carolina to get back into rhythm from the perimeter, if they wanted to prolong their stay in the ACC Tournament, and they got off to as good a start as they could’ve asked for earlier today.
Rebounding: Not only did Carolina shoot the ball well, they rebounded it well too, outrebounding Notre Dame 42-34, behind 10 rebounds from Lubin, and 9 from Withers. Because Carolina held Notre Dame to 32% shooting, it allowed them to control the defensive glass, 34-24, despite getting outrebounded on the offensive end, 10-8. Every starter grabbed at least one board, including Elliot Cadeau, who contributed with 6 rebounds.
Assists: Speaking of Cadeau, his decision making was on point today, as he handed out 10 assists, against just 2 turnovers, His unselfishness set the tone for the entire team today, as Carolina assisted on 19 of their 28 made baskets. In the second half the other night, the ball got stuck far too often on one side of the court, making Carolina easier to guard and defend in the half court. Today, the Heels got back to their passing ways, making the extra pass to go from a good shot, to a great shot, which resulted in a big shooting performance for the team.
Burton Limited: Markus Burton had a big game back in South Bend in January, scoring over 20 points, and lived at the foul line. Today? Burton scored just 11 points, on 3-11 shooting, and only got to the foul line seven times. Hubert Davis put Drake Powell on him to start, and his length really bothered Burton right from the jump, and he was able to wear him down with the speed of Seth Trimble, who was able to stay in front of him, no matter how often he tried to drive him.
Up Next: Carolina is back in action tomorrow afternoon, as they’ll take on Wake Forest in the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament.
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