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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels crush Virginia Tech in first round of ACC Tournament

By Richard Adkins

GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dunks the ball against Landers Nolley II #2 of the Virginia Tech Hokies during their game in the first round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA - MARCH 10: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels dunks the ball against Landers Nolley II #2 of the Virginia Tech Hokies during their game in the first round of the 2020 Men's ACC Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 10, 2020 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /
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UNC basketball dominated in a 22-point victory on Tuesday night in the first round of the ACC Tournament.

The suddenly hot UNC basketball team didn’t play down to their competition on Tuesday night against Virginia Tech, but instead blew them out 78-56 in the old Carolina style. The Tar Heels leaned on the ACC’s Most Improved Player in Garrison Brooks, who dropped a team-high 20 points in 34 minutes of play. Armando Bacot was also a force to be reckoned with in this game, recording his second-straight double-double and finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Senior guard Brandon Robinson–who is finally healthy–also looked good, as he racked up 17 points, including going 5 for 6 behind the three-point line. Cole Anthony, the young leader of this team, struggled a bit from the field, going just 3 for 10, but he made up for it in other facets of the game. Anthony grabbed eight boards and finished with 10 points in total. UNC has consistently struggled from beyond the arc this season and at the free-throw line, but had one of their better performances as a team Tuesday night, finishing 7 for 13 from deep and 19 for 25 at the charity stripe.

UNC entered the ACC Tournament as the bottom seed, but now that they’re healthy, they could be a threat to win some games.

The Tar Heels came into the ACC Tournament as the 14th and final seed, as injuries and inconsistent play doomed the team over the last two months of the season. Since returning to full strength over the past month or so though, the Heels have flipped the script, playing some of their best basketball all season. Despite the low ranking, it would be a mistake to overlook the Tar Heels at this point. They took No. 10 Duke to double overtime back in February, and went toe-to-toe with fourth-ranked Florida State in Tallahassee. Unlike the top teams in this tournament, Carolina’s only shot at the NCAA Tournament is to win the ACC.

UNC’s next challenge will come on Wednesday night against a Syracuse team that they beat on the road just two weeks ago. The Orange aren’t necessarily a premier team in the conference, and is a game that the Heels should theoretically have a shot in. Carolina is currently listed as just a three-point underdog, and if they can continue their impressive play from Tuesday night, it’s a matchup they can certainly win.

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