Tag: Pete Nance

UNC sets program record in win over Florida State

The UNC basketball team set a program record in its win over Florida State with its hot hand from three.

In its win over Florida State on Monday night, UNC basketball set an all-time program record… one that not many people probably saw coming.

In their hot shooting performance, the Tar Heels saw four players make three or more made 3s in a game — the first time in program history.

[autotag]Leaky Black[/autotag], [autotag]RJ Davis[/autotag], [autotag]Caleb Love[/autotag] and [autotag]Pete Nance[/autotag] all hit at least three 3s in the win.

All four players also finished with at least 15 points.

In the first half, North Carolina hit 11 3s and finished 14-of-29 from three. This comes after UNC was 10-of-22 from three against Virginia on Saturday.

“One of the things that we talked about, with Florida State defensively, they switch everything,” Head coach Hubert Davis said postgame. “I’ve said before, at the end of the day, we’re gonna have to knock down some perimeter jump shots and over the last couple games, we’ve been able to do that.”

On the season, UNC is shooting just 31.2 percent from three which is ranked 330th in college basketball.

Leaky Black currently leads the Tar Heels at 33.8 percent on the season.

UNC finishes the regular season on Saturday night against Duke.

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Pete Nance does it all in UNC win over UVA

Following UNC’s 71-63 win over UVA, players spoke up about Pete Nance dominating the game.

This season has not been kind to North Carolina’s [autotag]Pete Nance[/autotag], but the shooting woes were quickly forgotten Saturday night after a blockbuster performance from the transfer.

Nance dominated against the Virginia Cavaliers. He led all scorers with a season-high 22-points while turning into Dikembe Mutombo on defense with four blocks.

Since Nance’s game-tying shot that sent UNC into overtime against OSU during the CBS sports classic, the transfer has seen his fair share of criticism. However, through all the memes and noise outside the locker room, Nance stayed competing, using his defense as an anchor.

Saturday’s performance was the perfect game for Nance and significantly boosted UNC. When the shots fall, Nance becomes one of the most dangerous players on the court with his ability to stretch the floor and defend.

Following North Carolina’s win over Virginia, I got to speak with some players about Nance’s colossal performance.

UNC big man Armando Bacot was all vibes after the win, and when asked about Nance’s impact, he echoed what everyone else saw.

“I thought he was amazing today,” Bacot said. “Scored from all over the floor. Shot the ball well, and he was aggressive. That is the main thing when Pete is aggressive and tries to look for a shot and score. He is huge for us, and that was huge for us today.” ‘

North Carolina guard Caleb Love shared the same thoughts while telling me why it was so good to see Pete dominate in the win.

“He put so much work in and is hearing a lot of stuff.” Love said. “The outside noise about he is not this, and he is not that. So for him to go out there and have that game and the mental toughness to block out all the noises is great.”

When Nance came out of the locker room to speak, he was bombarded immediately with mics and cameras as he spoke about what stood out the most from his performance following the win.

“I am most happy with the blocks, for sure. Nance said. “Defense is something you can do if shots aren’t going in. So that is the main thing I was happy about for sure.”

Nance followed up by describing North Carolina’s shift in the last two games.

“I think a lot of credit to each other,” Nance said. “We are boosting each other with confidence and sticking together through what we know is a hard time with our backs against the wall. There is no choice but to come together or go fast downhill. I think these last two games, we’ve really brought it together and are looking to build some good momentum heading into the last stretch of the season.”

A big quad one win is the ingredient North Carolina has been searching for in their NCAA tournament recipe. UNC has a chance to finish the season strong as they fight for a chance to dance.

The Tar Heels will be back in action Monday as they travel to take on Florida State University.

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Notre Dame suffers latest close loss to North Carolina

Another close game that wasn’t meant to go the Irish’s way.

The stars seemed to be aligned for Notre Dame at last. After losing close contests at Duke and Virginia, a struggling North Carolina team was coming to Purcell Pavilion at the right time. This time, the Irish would get the job done and have their signature win of the season, right? Instead, they let the Tar Heels escape with their own 63-59 victory, giving them hope to still make the NCAA Tournament.

Despite the teams combining for only 15 field goals and shooting 25.4% from the field in the first half, the Irish (10-18, 2-15) held an eight-point halftime lead. The Tar Heels (17-11, 9-8) came out of the locker room looking like a new team, successfully executing a full-court press and otherwise frustrating the Irish on offense. That helped them go on a 15-4 run to open the second half, and it looked like they might blow the game open. Instead, the Irish kept it close throughout, and the game wasn’t decided until the clock almost was at zero.

The Irish lost the lead for good on a possession in which they allowed four offensive rebounds before Caleb Love made the go-ahead layup with 3:22 left. It painted the perfect picture of a game in which the Tar Heels held significant advantages in offensive boards (23-8) and second-chance points (23-9).

Even so, the Irish had a last chance when they trailed, 61-58, and [autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] was sent to the line for two free throws with 4.8 seconds remaining. Starling made the first and intentionally missed the second, but Love got the rebound and subsequently made two free throws after a foul to ice it.

Love scored 16 points to tie Armando Bacot, who achieved a double-double with 11 rebounds. RJ Davis had 12 points, and Pete Nance completed his own double-double of 11 points and 10 boards. Leaky Black grabbed 11 rebounds of his own. Yes, that’s three Tar Heels who reached double figures in boards, so it’s no surprise the team dominated in that category, 52-33.

[autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] paced the Irish with 14 points. [autotag]Trey Wertz[/autotag] scored 13, and Starling brought his scoring total to 10 with his late free throw.

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Pete Nance having a rough February for North Carolina

UNC Basketball forward Pete Nance is in a tough stretch here in the month of February.

When Pete Nance announced he was committing to North Carolina as a graduate transfer, he joined a team that returned four starters and a few key bench players from a run to the title game. While it was tough to replace Brady Manek, Nance was asked to step in that four spot in the lineup.

The former Northwestern product played well to start the season but here in the month of February, Nance is really struggling.

The forward is in a major slump from the field making just 13-of-44 attempts from the field for 29.5 percent. But it’s even worse from the three-point line as Inside Carolina’s Ross Martin pointed out. Nance is just 1-of-18 from the three-point line in that stretch:

Ouch.

The Tar Heels are in danger of being the first preseason No. 1 team to not make the NCAA Tournament. Going into Sunday’s game against NC State, the Tar Heels are one of the last four in according to Joe Lunardi.

They have five really tough games left and probably need to go 4-1 at minimum to feel safe. And if they are going to do that, they really need Nance to step up.

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What we learned about Ohio State following the OT loss to North Carolina

Here are some things we took away from Ohio State’s loss to North Carolina Saturday. #GoBucks

At one point during the second half, it looked as though the Buckeyes were going to pull away from the Tar Heels. But last year’s NCAA Tournament runners-up would not go away. They battled back and showed why it is so important to have veteran leadership.

The young Buckeyes struggled down the stretch, and the older UNC squad took advantage of the situation. This will be a tough loss to swallow, but there were still a few things that the Buckeyes did that will help them later in the year.

Here are a few things that we learned about [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] after their tough 89-84 overtime loss to [autotag]North Carolina[/autotag].

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Pete Nance scores career high to help UNC get past Portland

The UNC basketball program survived a scare against Portland thanks to Pete Nance’s career-high in points.

Pete Nance is making his presence known for the UNC basketball program and on Thursday, he had a career performance to help the Tar Heels get past Portland.

Nance finished with 28 points, a new career high, as the Tar Heels survived 89-81. Without Nance’s performance, North Carolina very well would have lost their first game of the year as he paced the Tar Heels along with a big performance from Caleb Love.

The former Northwestern standout was consistent all game long and was the go-to guy in UNC’s offense.  He shot 8-of-13 from the field including 5-of-8 from the three-point line, his best performance from behind the arc as a Tar Heel.

After a slow start, Nance has appeared to find his groove with the Tar Heels.

He’s scored in double figures in three-straight games, finishing with 11 and 18 in the previous two. If Nance can play like this for the Tar Heels, it will go a long way in accomplishing their goals this season.

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Pete Nance showcases full skillset in win over Gardner-Webb

UNC basketball forward Pete Nance showcased his full skillset in the Tar Heels’ win over Gardner-Webb on Tuesday.

UNC basketball forward [autotag]Pete Nance[/autotag] came into Tuesday’s game against Gardner-Webb with 13 total points and just three made field goals on the season.

In the 72-66 win over the Runnin’ Bulldogs, Nance broke out and showed fans why he was the highly sought-out transfer this offseason.

Nance scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and was 3-of-5 from three. He also added five rebounds and three blocks.

The 6-foot-10 forward was the most aggressive he had been since joining the UNC program and it started right from the tip. He scored 14 of the first 17 Tar Heels’ points and finished with 16 first half points.

“Obviously haven’t played as well as I’ve wanted to in the past couple of games,” Nance said postgame. “So being able to contribute and help this team win, I think, is something that I felt good about.”

“He was in a really good rhythm on the offensive end in the first half,” UNC head coach Hubert Davis said. “That was something I see everyday in practice… for that to be on display was terrific.”

Nance came into this season looking to replace the hole left with the departure of Brady Manek. Both players have different skillsets but Nance has a versatility that Manek didn’t have. While he came in known as having the ability to shoot the ball from deep, it wasn’t the best part of his game.

In 109 previous games, Nance only had 10 games with three or more 3s (career high is four).

“It felt good. I was glad I was able to get some shots to fall,” Nance said. “I’ve been trying to shoot with confidence, but it’s definitely good to see you know the work pay off and then have some shots going for me. Being a shooter you know, sometimes they go in sometimes they don’t. Tonight they were.”

Make or miss, the shots Nance took tonight, both from deep and around the paint, are ones that he needs to take. While the Tar Heels have numerous shooters in the lineup most times, Nance’s ability to be a pick and pop player — something Armando Bacot can’t do — is something that is extremely important for the growth of this offense.

He doesn’t need to hit at the same clip he did tonight, but he needs to be that consistent shot maker and shot taker.

“What he did in the first half, it’s something that we’re gonna need,” UNC guard RJ Davis said. “Super-proud of him, the way he was able to come out not even just on the offensive end, but he got that big block and it was nice to see that big smile on him.”

James Madison is next up for the Tar Heels on Sunday afternoon before heading out west to the Phil Knight Invitational.

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Pete Nance couldn’t stop smiling ahead of home debut for UNC

UNC basketball forward Pete Nance shared a special moment ahead of his home debut on Monday night in the Dean Dome.

Former Northwestern standout Pete Nance wasn’t originally on UNC’s radar in terms of adding a transfer player. With Brady Manek’s eligibility gone, the Tar Heels were seeking help in terms of a forward.

But as the weeks went on, they shifted the focus to Nance and in the end he picked the Tar Heels.

On Monday, Nance made his debut for the Tar Heels doing so in front of the crowd in the Dean Dome as UNC beat UNC-Wilmington 69-56. Before the game, Nance admitted that he couldn’t stop smiling as they went through the introductions, showing how special the moment was for him as Inside Carolina’s Ross Martin notes:

Nance went on to finish the game with 6 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists but was a factor defensively. When Armando Bacot left the game after his fourth foul in the second half, Nance stepped in at the five and played well.

That’s something UNC didn’t have last year. The stats will come for Nance as the games go on but it’s nice to see how truly special the moment was for him.

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UNC offense working out the kinks after season-opening win

The UNC basketball offense struggled in the season-opening win over UNC-Wilmington, as it works off some of the offseason rust.

The UNC basketball program got its season underway on Monday night with a 69-56 win over UNC-Wilmington, but it wasn’t the dominant win many people thought.

The preseason top ranked team in the country definitely had some ‘first game jitters’ on the offensive end on Monday. Despite three players in double-figures, the offense was anything but the high-powered machine that ended the years last season.

The Tar Heels shot just 45.8 percent from the field, including just 37.5 percent in the first half. They also connected on just 2-of-10 from three. In total, there were only four combined assists between the team — lowest in a game since 1980.

“I really think, for whatever reason, it was a combination for our guys, they were nervous, and they were anxious, and it just felt like, especially on the offensive end, we were moving at such a nervousness, anxiousness type of pace, that at times we couldn’t even catch the basketball,” UNC head coach Hubert Davis said postgame. “I know we have a veteran group, but it was the first game and I just felt like a lot of it was a result of a combination of being nervous and being anxious.”

UNC was led by its backcourt of [autotag]Caleb Love[/autotag] and [autotag]RJ Davis[/autotag]. Both players had 17 points. Love was 6-of-11 from the field and 1-of-4 from three while Davis was 6-of-12 from the field and 1-of-3 from three. [autotag]Armando Bacot[/autotag] added 16 points on 5-of-10 from the field but struggled to finish around the rim at times.

A season ago, the Tar Heels were one of the most prolific three-point shooting teams in the country. They attempted 23.5 3s per game and connected on 35.8 percent as a team.

Part of that was because of the spacing it had with Brady Manek at the 4 on the perimeter. He finished the season with a team-high 98 made 3s on 40.3 percent. Coming into this year, the biggest question was how UNC would replace his production and skillset. His ability to space the floor gave UNC’s guards added room to drive and get into the paint.

[autotag]Pete Nance[/autotag], the Northwestern transfer, came into this season with 106 made 3s in four years. He has a career three-point percentage of 35.6 percent, but just doesn’t shoot the ball at the volume that Manek did.

Nance finished with six points on 1-of-3 shooting and 0-of-1 from three on Monday.

Because the half-court offense is still a work in progress, it should be noted that the Tar Heels had just four fast break points as well. Part of that was because of the full-court press that UNC-Wilmington used for the majority of the game.

“UNCW had a number of different presses. So when you have multiple guys that can bring up the basketball and also get our team in its offense that’s a huge benefit for us,” Davis said. “Caleb and RJ, they can they can make plays on the ball, they can make plays off the ball, and especially in the second half I felt like their ability to create shots not only for themselves, but just to penetrate and get into the lane was huge for us. I was really happy with how aggressive they were and I was really happy with their decision making even though it didn’t result in very many assists, especially in the second half.”

UNC junior wing Puff Johnson missed Monday’s game and when he is re-inserted back into the lineup, it should help the spacing at times, especially with his ability to connect from three.

Until then, it’s just about working out some of the kinks of adding a veteran like Nance into the offense. Someone who has been open about doing whatever it takes to win, he’ll need to be able to hit some shots from deep to keep the defense honest.

But, through one game, the explosive offense of last year was nowhere to be found. It’s one game, however, so things should be just fine.

UNC takes on College of Charleston on Friday night.

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UNC Basketball vs. UNCW game preview, info, prediction and more

We preview the season opener for the UNC basketball program as they host UNC Wilmington on Monday night in the Dean Dome.

It’s finally basketball season.

The 2022-23 college basketball season tips off on Monday as the North Carolina Tar Heels begin their quest for redemption following a loss in the national championship a year ago. And first up on the list is UNC-Wilmington.

The two teams will tip off the season on Monday night in the Dean Dome with a 9 pm EST start. It’s the first non-conference game of the year for the Tar Heels and the first of two in the week as they will also play on Friday.

It’s no secret that UNC comes into this season with high expectations and rightfully so. With four of five starters back from last season plus the addition of [autotag]Pete Nance[/autotag], a good freshman class and more bench depth, the buzz is there in Chapel Hill as a preseason favorite to win it all.

Now, how they handle the buzz is the biggest question. And we will find out on Monday night as they need to come out strong and have a good showing in the opener.