GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina survived a scare that had nothing to do with Boston College on Wednesday in the ACC tournament’s second round.
The No. 10 seed Eagles were outmatched by the seventh seed Tar Heels as they shot well, shared generously and ran away with an 83-61 victory in the Greensboro Coliseum.
It sets up the third meeting of the season with No. 2 seed Virginia in the tournament quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The Heels and Cavaliers split their regular-season meetings, with each team winning at home.
Carolina jumped out to a 19-point lead against BC when senior forward Armando Bacot appeared to twist his left ankle as he landed while jumping for a rebound. Bacot sat out the remaining 4:34 of the half and retreated to the tunnel with athletic trainer Doug Halverson.
The last time Bacot was in a tunnel trying to run on a sore ankle, he did not return to the game and the Heels lost at Virginia, 65-58, on Jan. 10. Bacot played just 88 seconds of that game.
He made his way back onto the court against the Eagles for the second half and made the first basket. Although he didn’t show much fluidity moving laterally, Bacot was able to get up and down the floor without visible pain or a limp.
After playing the first five and a half minutes, he sat out the remainder of the game. Bacot finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. His availability and movement on Thursday once he’s no longer boosted by adrenaline is more important for the Heels.
Carolina (20-12) shot 10 of 24 from 3-point range. It marked the third time in the last four games that they made at least 10 in a game.
Their outside shooting was boosted by the way the Heels moved the ball. They totaled just 22 assists in their last three losses to Miami, N.C. State and Duke. But against the Eagles, they had 16 assists on 33 made baskets.
Boston College, which had their own leading scorer coming back from injury, never got going offensively.
The Eagles' 7-foot center Quiten Post did not start after missing the past three games with an ankle injury, but he did play in the game. Post scored 13 points in 29 minutes but was never allowed to be much of a factor.
UNC guard Caleb Love scored a game-high 22 points and he was followed by 18 points from R.J. Davis.
