LOS ANGELES – UNC basketball’s cold shooting in the second half was the end of the season for the top-seeded Tar Heels in an 89-87 loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
After surpassing 50 points in the first half, UNC (29-9) missed 30 of its 40 shots in the second half and the Crimson Tide (24-11) made some key stops as well as some big plays during the stretch. Took advantage of. Grant Nelson heads to Hollywood for a date with Clemson (24-11) in the Elite Eight on Saturday (8:49 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV).
UNC gave up 80 or more points in eight of its nine losses this season, so this was the magic number for Alabama.
Armando Bacot finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in his final game as a Tar Heel. Cormac Ryan (17 points), RJ Davis (16 points) and Harrison Ingram (12 points) joined Bacott in double figures, but Alabama scored seven of the final 10 points to win.
RJ Davis, Tar Heels’ shooting struggles
RJ Davis, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, missed 16 of his first 20 shots against the Tide – including each of his nine attempts from 3-point range. Davis had seven assists and made eight free throws, including the go-ahead points in the final two minutes, but his poor shooting performance on the season was uncharacteristic of him, leaving the Tar Heels at the top of the ACC with one of the best points in the history of the game. Maintained as. Teams in the nation.
Follow the madness: NCAA Tournament brackets, scores, schedules, teams and more.
Ryan steps in for RJ:UNC basketball’s Cormac Ryan defends RJ Davis after the Tar Heels’ season-ending loss
Hubert talks bench minutes:UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis explains to the bench minutes after the loss to Alabama
UNC had no answer for Alabama’s Grant Nelson
Alabama’s Grant Nelson scored 12 points in the final five minutes to make UNC the first No. 1 seed to be eliminated from the NCAA Tournament. Nelson led the Crimson Tide past the Tar Heels in the closing minutes with 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.
Staff writer Rod Baxley can be contacted at[email protected] Or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
