NEW YORK – On a cold Saturday afternoon in New York City, UCLA and North Carolina took the court inside a not-quite-full and somewhat subdued Madison Square Garden. However, by the end of the game, the Garden was packed and the pro North Carolina crowd was popping. Finally, the Tar Heel faithful had something to cheer about.
North Carolina (7-5) recovered from yet another lackluster first half performance and came back from a 16-point second half deficit to beat UCLA for its biggest win of the season. It was the Heels’ first win against a ranked opponent, having previously lost to all four ranked teams they faced.
“When we were down in the second half there was no panic,” North Carolina head coach Hubert Davis said. “It was not a situation where we were trying to make a 16-point play. It was just a possession on possession type of approach and then when we got it close, just understanding how important little details are. It’s because we’ve been in those situations against really good competition that allowed us to have the confidence to come back and then also the experiences of what we needed to do to finish it out and win.”
In the first half, UCLA came out strong and kept the partisan UNC crowd sitting on its hands. Tyler Bilodeau, the Bruins’ 6-foot-8 junior transfer from Oregon State, dominated offensively, scoring the Bruins’ first 11 points. The Bruins were unbothered by North Carolina’s defense and shot 53 percent from the field in the first half and 6 of 11 from beyond the arc. Bilodeau finished the first half with 13 points. Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack, who was benched by UCLA coach Mick Cronin the previous game, had a game-high 16 at the half.
Conversely, North Carolina struggled with UCLA’s defensive pressure. The Heels shot 37.5 percent and turned the ball over 11 times before intermission. The Tar Heels’ lone bright spot was freshman Ian Jackson, who kept them afloat with 13 points. UCLA led 40-32 at the break.
That’s when Davis decided to make a lineup change. He inserted Jackson in place of fellow freshman Drake Powell. The smaller four-guard lineup pressed the Bruins full court and pushed the pace. Jackson provided a spark defensively and was the Heels’ number one offensive option down the stretch, finishing with a team-high 24 points on 8 of 13 shooting.
Asked if the four-guard lineup was here to stay, Davis said it was very possible. “Yes, the lineup change that we made in the second half, it just felt like they were just loading up on RJ and Ian got it going offensively as well. So just having multiple scorers out there,” Davis said. “I thought it would be really good for us because it puts teams in a situation, ‘Do you want to go big or do you want to match up with us?’”
Don’t be surprised if you see this lineup more in the near future. Lately, Jackson has looked like one of North Carolina’s best scorers, if not the best. Moreover, the guards are clearly the strength of this team so it makes sense to lean into that strength. “We may not have tremendous size, but we do have athleticism,” Davis said. Jackson not only provided the spark, he helped clear space for Davis to operate. He finished with 17 points. North Carolina shot 56.5 percent in the second half while holding UCLA to 43 percent.
A huge turning point came with 11:45 to play when Bilodeau committed his fourth foul and left the game with UCLA up by 14. When he returned with 5:15 remaining, the Bruins’ lead was down to three. “Obviously, I’m not going to comment on the officiating. [Bilodeau] going out changed the game,” he said. “If he doesn’t go out, if they call that a charge or a no-call, we obviously would be having a different press conference.”
North Carolina completed the comeback when Davis drove to the basket and was fouled with 13.6 seconds left in the game. He converted both free throws, giving North Carolina its first lead since it led 2-0 less than a minute into the game. Bilodeau finished with a game-high 26 points and Mack finished with 22 in the loss for the Bruins.
The game was a season changer for North Carolina. It gave the Heels their second Quadrant 1 win, not to mention a neutral court win over a mentally and physically tough opponent. Carolina also might have found a new identity heading into ACC play, a smaller, quicker lineup that forces opponents to adjust. “We’ve been battle tested all year,” RJ Davis said. “The first 12 games, it seems like we’ve been in March Madness games. That’s what it’s going to be like at the end of the year when we’re playing against tough teams all the way to the wire and being able to execute, being able to get that extra rebound, that extra stop…Obviously, we made some mistakes and we lost some games that we should have won, but I think overall it’s helping us build into the team that we can be.”
The Tar Heels would also like to believe that this will turn out to be Jackson’s breakout game, which is fitting because it came in his home town and in the arena he has dreamt about playing in. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself, I’ve always had that,” he said. “But my teammates definitely put it over the top today and they helped me and I appreciate them for it.”
