UNC basketball’s second-half rally isn’t enough against Iowa in ACC-Big Ten Challenge
Iowa forward Luka Garza continually hurt No. 16 North Carolina on the offensive end during the No. 3 Hawkeyes’ 93-80 win in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Tuesday, even when he wasn’t intentionally trying.
The Tar Heels (3-2) were so fixated on the Big Ten’s 2020 Player of the Year that they double-teamed him when they weren’t supposed to or they sagged off Iowa’s shooters anticipating the post would need help defending him. As a result, Carolina allowed the Hawkeyes (4-0) to make 17 3-pointers, which is the most it has ever allowed since the Challenge began in 1999.
“We didn’t try to double him, that’s not what we were trying to do, we were trying to play him one-on-one and hope that our size would bother him,” UNC coach Roy Williams said in his postgame video conference. “And if it wasn’t doing well, then we were going to try to double team him. But they kept making shots when we run in there (to help), and we weren’t supposed to be doing that.”
Iowa’s redshirt senior guard Jordan Bohannon scored a game-high 24 points for the Hawkeyes including a career-high seven 3-pointers. Sophomore guard C.J. Fredrick also tied career-highs with 21 points and five 3-pointers. Junior forward Joe Wieskamp, who also added five 3s, was the only other Iowa player who made a shot behind the arc.
The Tar Heels kept Garza in check early. He struggled against the size and multiple defenders that Carolina could put on him — and shot just 2-of-9 in the first half. But when the Hawkeyes cooled off from deep in the second half, they knew to get the ball to Garza.
Iowa’s Luka Garza ‘the real deal’
When the Heels pulled within 55-54 on a Caleb Love 3-pointer, he took over for the Hawkeyes. Garza, the 6-11, 265-pound senior center, scored the next 10 points for Iowa and finished with 16 points and 14 rebounds.
“I’m gonna tell you, (Luka) Garza is the real deal,” Williams said. “He’s the real deal. And a great compliment that I can give somebody as he reminds me of Tyler Hansbrough. He could just score so much from inside and gain so much attention.”
Garza’s scoring burst couldn’t slow the Heels from rallying after trailing by as many as 16 in the first half. They had a furious charge to start the second half as they focused on attacking the rim.
UNC senior forward Garrison Brooks, who scored a team-high 17 points, and freshman guard Caleb Love had back-to-back dunks out of intermission. Eight of their first nine baskets in the second half were in the paint.
And when freshman guard R.J. Davis scored seven straight for North Carolina including free throws with 9:52 left for its first lead in the game at 66-65.
Tar Heels have more fight than last year
After both teams exchanged baskets, Bohannon made a 3-pointer to ignite the run to put the game away. The Hawkeyes (4-0) reeled off 14 straight points to turn a one-point deficit into an 81-68 lead.
“I think we played a lot harder compared to last year, a lot harder,” Brooks said. “I’m pretty sure last year we would have lost the game by 25. But we made some strides and I think we still got a long way to go.”
UNC did have some positives to build upon including was seeing its young backcourt share the ball at a high rate. Love and Davis combined for 14 of the team’s season-high 22 assists. This coming a game after the Heels had a season-low six assists in the loss to Texas.
Freshman forward Day’Ron Sharpe and senior guard Andrew Platek each provided a boost from off the bench. Sharpe had 13 points and six rebounds, while Platek had 10 points and two of the team’s six 3-pointers.
UNC’s trouble with fouls, turnovers
Carolina was hurt as personal fouls sidelined Sharpe, sophomore forward/center Armando Bacot and Brooks for stretches when each got their fourth foul.
Turnovers, a recurring theme for North Carolina basketball this season, helped Iowa jump out to a double-digit halftime lead. The Hawkeyes scored 11 points on nine UNC turnovers in the first half and 12 points on its nine turnovers in the second. But more than allowing some easy baskets for Iowa, it prevented North Carolina from taking advantage of its strength, which is offensive rebounding.
The Heels, which ranked fifth nationally in offensive rebound percentage, according to Kenpom.com, scored just one basket off five offensive rebounds in the first half. For a UNC team still trying to find consistent perimeter shooting, that was a big reason why scoring seemed to be in short supply early.
Garza never quite made the offensive impact that his 34-point average suggested in the first half. He simply didn’t have to. Wieskamp, who finished with 19 points, and Fredrick made four 3-pointers each and Bohannon added three for 11 made 3s in the first half.
Brooks made three straight baskets and the Heels pulled within 37-29. They had a chance to make it six when Love missed a floater and his follow shot.
Fredrick answered as the Hawkeyes seemed to all game — with a 3. And his final 3 of the first half came just before the buzzer to give Iowa a 43-31 lead into the locker room.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 9:37 PM with the headline "UNC basketball’s second-half rally isn’t enough against Iowa in ACC-Big Ten Challenge."