WASHINGTON (AP) – With Marcus Paige leading the way, No. 7 North Carolina scored 24 consecutive points over a 9 1/2-minute span bridging halftime and easily beat defending champion Notre Dame 78-47 on Friday night for a spot in the ACC Tournament final.
UNC (27-6) reached its record 34th ACC title game and fifth in the past six years. But the Tar Heels have gone 0-4 in finals in that span, including a loss to the Fighting Irish a year ago.
UNC will meet Virginia or Miami on Saturday.
Whatever doubts there might have been about the Tar Heels as the NCAAs approach – Could they succeed without much from leading scorer Brice Johnson? Could Paige pull out of his shooting slump? Could the team display enough defensive toughness? – were wiped away during the game-changing run.
In sum, this was relentless and riveting. And it all happened with Johnson on the sideline, sitting with two fouls.