UNC Basketball survives second half scare at Florida State to stay alive
As UNC Basketball entered the locker room at halftime last night with a 43-25 lead, I’ll admit I got a bit complacent. “We’ve got this,” I figured. The Heels had lit it up from outside, making an extremely uncharacteristic 11 threes, and their defense had stifled Florida State into shooting under 35% from the field. It seemed the team had picked up where they left off against Virginia on Saturday night and would steamroll through the second half against an obviously inferior team.
Why did I do that? I’ve watched thousands of games. I’ve seen crazy comebacks. Just two days ago Florida State pulled off the largest comeback in ACC history. There was no way the Heels could continue shooting at such a torrid clip. So why did I get comfortable?
I wasn’t the only one that seemed to think the game was over. The Heels came out in the second half like a team that didn’t realize they needed to play 20 more minutes. The sizzle of the first half was gone, replaced by listless, lackluster offensive play. The shooting, of course, cooled down. And Carolina’s all-everything big man Armando Bacot had the worst game of his career, going scoreless until he knocked down a free throw in the final minute. Luckily for UNC, though, Florida State couldn’t capitalize, and the lead didn’t dwindle to single digits until the 4:29 mark.
For much of the half, Carolina couldn’t get out of its own way. They were less decisive on offense, slowing down the pace and settling for more difficult shots. Amazingly, they actually had fewer turnovers in the second half, but each one seemed magnified because Carolina’s other possessions were also unproductive.
It’s amazing what a difference making shots has on the way a team plays. Every time the ball goes in the basket, it gives the team a boost. Each miss is deflating, with each consecutive one exponentially worse. After making a three in front of the Florida State bench late in the first half, Caleb Love let out one of his patented roars as he ran back down the court. Baskets seem to beget more baskets. Momentum is real.
Eventually, Florida State found a way to grab that momentum. The crowd helped, as did the continued empty possessions for Carolina. The final five minutes were more nerve-wracking than they had any right to be. Two players, though refused to let Carolina lose in a game they had to have.