, who struggled out of the gate to fall behind by nine while making just 1 of their first 12 3s.But it wasn't long before just about everything started falling from behind the arc, an avalanche that sparked a game-turning 20-0 run that pushed UNC to a 45-31 lead by halftime.UNC made 15 of its last 22 3-pointers, finished the game shooting 54 percent and led by as many as 27 points.Ahmed Hill scored 20 points for the Hokies (15-3, 4-2), who made 6 of 7 3-pointers in a fast start only to end the half by going nearly 6 minutes without a basket.BIG PICTUREVirginia Tech: This was the Hokies' second road game against a ranked opponent in the past week. Things went poorly in the first at No. 3 Virginia, with the Hokies struggling at both ends in a woeful first half en route to a 22-point loss. They had a better start by moving the ball crisply (seven assists on their first eight baskets) and knocking down a barrage of outside looks. But they cooled a bit then had little answer for the Tar Heels' game-turning flurry, which came after starting point guard Justin Robinson headed to the bench with his third foul at the 9:52 mark.UNC: The Tar Heels were coming off a win at Miami that pushed them to 3-0 on the road in ACC play for only the fourth time in 16 seasons under Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams. This time they shook off that flat start once they started knocking down all the looks they were missing in the opening minutes. It helped, too, that the Tar Heels' touted freshmen only got hotter as the game wore on. White finished with seven rebounds and six assists, while Little had his third straight double-figure scoring output with six rebounds.UP NEXTVirginia Tech: The Hokies host Syracuse on Saturday night.UNC: The Tar Heels visit Georgia Tech on Saturday night.---More college basketball: http://apnews.com/Collegebasketball and http://www.twitter.com/-Top25---Follow Aaron Beard on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/aaronbeardap)
Jan 20, 2019Two ranked teams that have bounced back after lopsided losses are set to clash with sole possession of first place in the ACC on the line -- at least for one day.No. 9 Virginia Tech visits No. 13 North Carolina on Monday night at the Smith Center.North Carolina (14-4, 4-1) has won twice since an 83-62 home loss to Louisville. That includes Saturday's 85-76 victory at Miami when the Tar Heels shot 55 percent from the field, marking their first game at 50 percent or better in an eight-game stretch."We need everybody's shooting percentages to be better," North Carolina coach Roy Williams said.Virginia Tech (15-2, 4-1) recovered from a blowout loss at No. 4 Virginia to drub Wake Forest on Saturday.Getting back in a groove was important to the Hokies, who fell 81-59 in the much-anticipated in-state matchup with Virginia."I thought we were much more 'us,' and that is not to take anything at all away from the University of Virginia," Virginia Tech coach Buzz Williams said after the Wake Forest game. "... The response from our team, it speaks to how they were raised, it speaks to their characters and to their work ethic." Virginia Tech has reached the 80-point mark in 10 games this season, winning all of those.North Carolina's defense has been spotty at times, so that could be a factor in this matchup.North Carolina often excels on the offensive end. The team notched 26 assists in the Miami game for the second-highest total of the season."Everything looks better when it's going in the basket," Roy Williams said. "For us, I liked the way we took care of the basketball in the second half." Virginia Tech dealt with a different kind of dilemma. Because of foul trouble, the Hokies had to dig deep into the bench in Saturday's game."I thought the poise and maturity of our team was really good in response to that," Buzz Williams said.The reserves accounted for 25 points in the 87-71 decision against Wake Forest."We just know we've got to contribute to the group," Virginia Tech reserve forward Ty Outlaw said. "It's not about who's in. It's about us, no matter who's on the floor." The large chunk of playing time for backups might ultimately benefit the Hokies if some energy was conserved for the quick turnaround for Monday night's game.North Carolina's depth has been impacted by the absence of backup forward Sterling Manley, who has a knee injury that has kept him out of games for three weeks.Freshman Nassir Little has helped with production off the North Carolina bench, scoring 11 and 12 points in the past two games despite logging only a total of 30 minutes in the two games. Roy Williams said seeing Little take the ball to the basket has been a plus for the Tar Heels.--Field Level Media
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