GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) – Brice Johnson scored 17 points to help No. 19 North Carolina beat Boston College 81-63 on Wednesday in the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament.
Marcus Paige also scored 17 for the fifth-seeded Tar Heels (22-10). North Carolina played without starting forward Kennedy Meeks and had trouble putting away the 12th-seeded Eagles (13-19) for much of the second half, but pulled away late and won its seventh straight meeting to set up a matchup with No. 14 Louisville.
UNC led by 13 at half and never by fewer than eight from there, shaking off a cold start to the half and finishing at 52 percent shooting after the break.
Aaron Brown scored 20 points to lead BC, while all-ACC guard Olivier Hanlan scored 18. But Hanlan shot 5 for 19 from the field and had missed 12 of his 14 shots entering the final 8 minutes.
Johnson went 8 for 17 from the field and finished with nine rebounds. Meanwhile Paige again looked healthier after battling a foot injury and had playing through pain since January, turning in an all-around floor game with nine assists, six rebounds and two steals.