The North Carolina Tar Heels welcomed Campbell University to the Dean Dome on Sunday night for one final, non-conference tilt as both teams closed out their 2024 portions of the college basketball season.
While UNC and Campbell traded punches early, as I predicted before the matchup, it didn’t take North Carolina long to pull ahead and dominate the Camels.
After leading Campbell by just 11 points at halftime, the Tar Heels exploded for 57 second-half points in a 97-81 domination.
UNC (8-5, 1-0 ACC) finally got the balanced scoring attack it long searched for on Sunday night, with all five starters scoring in double-figures and 10 players scoring overall.
Ian Jackson (26) and RJ Davis (23) both reached the 20-point plateau, Elliot Cadeau and Drake Powell each finished with 12 points and Jalen Washington enjoyed his most productive outing of December, scoring 10 points.
During the Tar Heels’ victory, Davis made history by becoming their program leader in 3-pointers, draining his 300th to surpass current assistant coach Marcus Paige. Davis made five shots from deep, ending his night with 303 career makes.
North Carolina shot 57.1 percent as a team, with a 35.7& mark from deep. Jackson led UNC by shooting 56.3% (9-of-16), which included a 3-of-8 mark from deep.
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The Tar Heels’ defense wasn’t great, but it didn’t need to be with its most efficient offensive performance of the year. Starting guard Seth Trimble was announced out just moments before tip-off – and if you know Trimble, he is North Carolina’s best defender.
UNC now turns its focus to Louisville on Wednesday, January 1, 2025 for a 6 p.m. ET tip-off. The Cardinals (8-5, 1-1 ACC) are much-improved from the Kenny Payne era, so expect the Tar Heels to be challenged.
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