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Off the cuff: With a short rotation due to injury and COVID and with Notre Dame draining three after three, perhaps Carolina wasn't going to win this game but the Heels had opportunities down the stretch that were thwarted by themselves and official calls or noncalls.

The worst call of the the night was a delayed charge call on Love with about 10 minutes to play. There were three defenders around him and the one that drew the contact was moving and had one foot inside the circle, which automatically means it's either a defensive foul or no foul. Perhaps the worst official in the ACC, Ted Valentine, made the call.

With more than five minutes to play, Bacot appeared to have scored and was fouled but the officials called him for traveling. It did look awkward in real time but with the ability to see the replay, it was not a travel. A three-point play would have tied it at 66 all.

With under three minutes to go, and a chance to tie it at 69-all, Notre Dame's Ryan fouled Bacot but it wasn't called and the Irish came away with the ball, leading to two straight threes by ND's Laszewski.

Trailing just 72-70, got a chance to tie with about a minute to go but Love dribbled and turned and twisted and put up a forced shot instead of passing it off. He missed and a desperate Bacot fouled. Then Bacot fouled a three-point shooter. Notre Dame converted two of them to go up 74-70.

Then Leaky Black missed an open layup with 32 seconds left and Carolina had to foul. Notre Dame hit four three throws over the last 27 seconds to put it away.

After losses, Coach Davis tends to say that the Heels didn't play Carolina basketball. How many times will he say that before it becomes Carolina basketball?

Notre Dame 78, Tar Heels 73
Shorthanded Heels can't overcome 3s

North Carolina, down three players - two of them to COVID protocols, missed opportunities and couldn't overcome 13 three-pointers by Notre Dame as the Irish defeated the Tar Heels 78-73 in South Bend. (1/5)

"We gave them too many open threes," UNC coach Hubert Davis said "Just too many open looks. We didn't get up on their shooters, which was opposite what we practiced."

Notre Dame started to pull away in the first half with a 12-2 run (half of the points came from three) that broke a 17-all tie. But the Tar Heels, behind Armando Bacot's 13 first-half points, pulled to within four at 39-35.

In the second half, it was more of the same from Notre Dame as Ryan and Wesley hit back-to-back threes 25 seconds apart to give the Irish their biggest lead at 56-43.

After UNC's Anthony Harris hit a three from the left corner, the Tar Heels trailed by just five at 56-51 but they went four minutes without a basket and fell behind 64-56 with less than eight minutes to go.

But Carolina turned it around with an 11-2 run which ended with a Caleb Love running scoop shot and a Bacot a backing layup to go up 67-66 with 3:28 to go.

Nate Laszewski, who led four Notre Dame players in double figures with 20, hit his fifth and sixth three-pointers in seven attempts to put the Irish right back up to five with less than two minutes left.

Carolina had some chances down the stretch but put up a forced shot, fouled, missed a layup and missed a pair of threes as the Irish were able to hold on.

"Frustrating," Coach Davis said. "We came from 13 own and were able to take the lead but then we didn't executive. We weren't consistent throughout the game."

Bacot led the Heels with 21 points while R.J. Davis added 19 and Love contributed 15 points, including 13 in the second half.

The Tar Heels were playing without starter Dawson Garcia, key shooter off the bench Kerwin Walton and Justin McKoy. Carolina suited only eight scholarship players and primarily played only six of them.

North Carolina, now 10-4 and 2-1 in the ACC, hosts Virginia Saturday at 1 p.m. Notre Dame improves to 8-5 overall and 2-1 in the ACC.

Box Score

UNC's Armando Bacot scored 21 points and Caleb Love had 15 but it wasn't enough to beat Notre Dame. (UNC Sports Information photo)

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