North Carolina Basketball: Tar Heels survive tough Wake Forest test

North Carolina survived a tough game at home against Wake Forest but looked solid in the face of a potential upset bid.

The North Carolina Tar Heels came into their opening game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons high on confidence and were able to grind out a 73-69 victory on Saturday afternoon.

After a surprising loss to the Wofford Terriers a week or so (that probably had a lot to do with the hangover from a tough victory over the Tennessee Volunteers on the road), UNC bounced back with a 14-point victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes and headed into ACC play ready to prove themselves as a National Title contender yet again.

Their first opponents, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, have had an up and down season, just recently losing a six-game win streak at the hands of Tennessee. The loss of John Collins (among others) has been evident, but the play of Keyshawn Woods and Bryant Crawford will be able to carry this team at times when a game might seem out of reach.

This scenario played out against the Tar Heels, as Wake Forest pushed the No. 13 team in college basketball for the entire game behind Crawford and Woods, who combined for 29 of the Demon Deacons’ 69 points. North Carolina was able to overcome this, however, through the play of Joel Berry and Luke Maye, who combined for 33 points and 21 rebounds.

If there was another half, Theo Pinson might have gone for a triple-double, as his solid but not flashy night ended with seven rebounds, six assists, and eight points. Throw in Cam Johnson’s 11 points off the bench on 3-4 from three-point land, and North Carolina’s offense might be on the verge of exploding onto the scene.