After letting NC State seemingly make shots at will in the first half of Saturday’s rivalry game, the UNC men’s basketball team locked in and turned in an extremely-strong defensive performance in half two.
ACC-leading North Carolina (23-6, 15-3) beating its long-standing rival, 79-70, behind a second half in which it limited the struggling Wolfpack (17-12, 9-9) to 25 points. At one point, NC State missed 15 consecutive shots, allowing the Tar Heels to distance themselves and win yet another crucial matchup.
With one week left in the regular season, NET rankings are becoming all-important. UNC, despite its big win, dropped one spot to 10th in the latest NET rankings.
I’m not concerned in the least bit about this, as North Carolina is pretty much a lock to make the NCAA Tournament. The Tar Heels’ drop, though, could’ve been due to struggling in the first half against the 80th-ranked team in the NET.
UNC has two more chances to improve its NET number during the regular season: Tuesday, March 5 against Notre Dame for Senior Night, then Saturday, March 9 at Duke in a game that could decide the ACC’s top spot. North Carolina will then try for an ACC Tournament Championship on Thursday, March 14, as it received a double-bye.
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