North Carolina’s struggles on the basketball continued on Tuesday night.
Entering this game with a two-game win streak, the Tar Heels had the chance to earn a BIG quad 1 victory against the unbeaten No. 7 Florida Gators. They even fell behind by 17 in the first half before rallying in the second to take the lead.
But in the end, the Gators put together a strong final 1:30 and take down the Tar Heels 90-84 in the Jumpman Invitational. The loss sends UNC to 6-5 on the season and marks their fourth loss to a top 10 team this year.
UNC found themselves behind early again as Florida went on a 10-0 run to grab the 10-2 lead. The Gators extended that lead to 17 in the first half before UNC closed out strong. The Tar Heels carried that into the second half, opening the final 20 minutes on a 9-0 run.
As UNC clawed their way back in, the Tar Heels and Gators exchanged baskets with freshman Ian Jackson leading the way for the Tar Heels. UNC even had an 81-77 lead with just over 4 minutes left.
Final.#CarolinaFamily | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/6E5kGkjS2Z
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) December 18, 2024
The big blow came late when the Tar Heels missed two free throws, then turned it over in a tie game and then watched the Gators grab two offensive rebounds, one with UNC up two and then another with the game tied. Those two rebounds were huge for the Gators who outrebounded UNC 46-36.
RJ Davis missed an open three-pointer with 44 seconds left and UNC down by two. The Gators would hit four free throws to seal it.
Davis led all scorers with 29 while Ian Jackson, Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble each had 11. UNC shot 5-of-28 from the three-point line including going 0-for-9 to start.
UNC now goes to New York City for another showdown against a ranked opponent as they will face No. 18 UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic.
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