For North Carolina Tar Heels' head basketball coach Roy Williams, nothing has been easy. With all of his success at Kansas, it took him a move to Carolina to win his first (and second) national championship(s). Last night, it was difficult to pick up his 600th career victory, but the 11th-ranked Heels (6-1) did so going away with a 80-73 victory over Nevada (2-3).
The Tar Heels trailed 64-62 with over seven minutes remaining in the game but went on a 7-0 run that put the game away. The Wolf Pack hung around, cutting the lead to 69-67 with 5:17 remaining, but Carolina rattled off another five unanswered points that left their scrappy opponents in the dust.
Deon Thompson scored a career high 23 points to go with eight rebounds and Ed Davis chipped in 16 points with 15 rebounds and three blocked shots to lead North Carolina. Armon Johnson led Nevada scorers with 20 points, along with a team-high four assists. Tar Heels point guard Larry Drew II had an efficient game, scoring 12 points while dishing out 10 assists. He also had only one turnover, which is good news for running the high-paced Tar Heels attack.
North Carolina next plays second-ranked Michigan State in Chapel Hill on Tuesday night. This is their matchup in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, of which the ACC has won all 10 classics. The Spartans are eager to avenge a loss last year to the Tar Heels, 89-72 in the national championship game.
Nevada will stay on the road for their next game on Saturday against Pacific, who is coming off their first loss of the season on Saturday against San Jose State.
Stay tuned for more of the Tar Heel sports experience in later articles. Until then, go Heels!
Don't forget to check out Keith Cooke's other column, the Charlotte Cruise Ships Examiner, a great resource for taking that vacation before, during and after you follow the Heels!
And one other thing - Keith Cooke has another column, the Charlotte High School Sports Examiner, a great look at Charlotte's high school sports scene.
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