Junior guard Joel Berry II raffled off 26-points to lead the Tar Heels past No. 9 Florida State 96-83, sending the Seminoles back to Tallahassee after winning a program-best 12 games in a row.
The short-handed Tar Heels (16-3, 4-1 ACC) rode the hat hands of senior forward Isaiah Hicks and Justin Jackson who both contributed 22-points to Berry’s 26-point outing.
The Seminoles (16-2, 4-1 ACC) are in the middle of a six-game stretch against ranked opponents, and after beating three ranked teams in a row, the ‘Noles got sloppy on the road.
“we are a pretty good free throw shooting team.” Leonard Hamilton said following the loss.
While they ‘Noles have been salvageable from the charity stripe this season, the Seminoles seemed almost allergic to free points on Saturday.
Florida State shot 46 percent (12-26) from the line, while UNC made 70 percent (26-37) of their attempts.
The lack of free throw shooting and the inability to cap a UNC run was what led to FSU dropping its first conference bout. UNC ended the first half on a 13-2 run, and then pulled away again in the closing minutes with a 14-5 run.
Some Seminole fans saw an “old” Leonard Hamilton performance in this game. Sloppy turnovers and a team that looked like they were afraid to convert from the free throw line.
The ‘Noles were clearly the better team in North Carolina on Saturday, but still, could not get ahead or control some key UNC runs.
With 1:59 remaining in the first half, the ‘Noles trailed by just two points. UNC held just a two-point lead despite Florida State allowing them to bag an easy 15-points off turnovers.
With just over five minutes remaining in the game, FSU trimmed the North Carolina lead to three. But, UNC had one more run in their pockets and pulled away yet again.
FSU played bad, but keep it close and that should be reassuring for Seminole fans.
Freshmen Jonathan Isaac had his best performance to date for the Seminoles, Isaac finished the day with 17-points and 12-rebounds in 27-minutes of actions.
The Seminoles will return home to take on the only undefeated team left in the ACC when No. 20 Louisville comes to town on Wednesday at 7 P.M.
The Irish (16-2, 5-0 ACC) have won seven straight and now sit in first place in the conference with Florida State dropping to second.
