Tar Heels Run Wild on Fighting Irish, 101-59

GREENSBORO, N.C. –  Armando Bacot scored 20 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to record his sixth double-double of the season and lead North Carolina to the quarterfinals of the New York Life ACC Tournament, defeating No. 11 seed Notre Dame 101-59 on Thursday.

Carolina (17-9) advances to face No. 3 seed Virginia Tech (15-5) in the late game Friday evening. The Tar Heels and Hokies have not faced each other yet this season, as their February 16 matchup was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

North Carolina ended the first half on a 47-31 run and led 50-36 at the break. Notre Dame (11-15) never got closer than 12 points in the second half, as the Tar Heels ended the game on a 42-12 run over the final 15:27.

North Carolina shot 50.6% from the field on 39-of-77 shooting while Notre Dame was 19-for-61 (31.1%) on field goals. The Tar Heels outrebounded the Fighting Irish 54-31, including a 25-15 edge on the offensive glass.

Five Tar Heel players scored in double figures, led by Bacot’s game-high 20 points. Walker Kessler was a force inside for North Carolina, posting his first career double-double and setting career bests in blocks (8) and rebounds (12) while scoring 16 points. Caleb Love scored 15 points, Day’Ron Sharpe added 14 points and 10 rebounds while RJ Davis had a 14-point effort.

Notre Dame was led in scoring by Nate Laszewski and Prentiss Hubb, with each scoring 13 points.