GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina cruised to a nearly flawless victory against Notre Dame, winning 101-59 in the second round of the ACC tournament Wednesday at the Greensboro Coliseum.
And they did it all without senior forward Garrison Brooks, who dressed out for the game but did not play for just the second time in 132 games. Brooks suffered a left ankle injury in the first minute of Carolina’s win over Duke on Saturday.
The Tar Heels advanced to face No. 3 seed Virginia Tech, who they did not play during the regular season. The Hokies played just four games last month, having to shut down basketball activities twice due to contact tracing. They have not played since an 84-46 win over Wake Forest on Feb. 27.
It was evident from the start, Notre Dame couldn’t contain the Tar Heels’ size and they exploited that advantage at every turn. Just visualize Irish guard Dane Goodwin, all 6-foot-6 of him, trying to defend UNC’s 7-foot-1 freshman center Walker Kessler.
The game was like playing keep away from a younger, smaller sibling. Early on it seemed like every shot Carolina missed, it was able to corral off the boards for a second attempt. And a third. And sometimes a fourth.
The Heels finished with 25 offensive rebounds -- one shy of tying its season-high in the loss at Syracuse -- and 27 second chance points.
All of their frontcourt got involved too, with sophomore Armando Bacot leading the way with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore Day’Ron Sharpe, who started in place of Brooks, had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kessler flirted with just the third triple double in UNC history, but fell just shy with 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocked shots.
Carolina played at the pace coach Roy Williams has been trying to get to all season. In a sign of respect the Heels hadn’t seen much this season, Notre Dame players stopped trying to go to the offensive boards in order to get back on defense. UNC’s 19 fast break points were the second most it recorded in an ACC game this season.
