UNC basketball's cold shooting ends season in NCAA Tournament loss to Alabama
LOS ANGELES — UNC basketball’s cold shooting in the second half was a season-ending blow for the top-seeded Tar Heels in a 89-87 loss to Alabama in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
After surpassing 50 points in the first half, UNC (29-9) missed 30 of its 40 shots in the second half and the Crimson Tide (24-11) took advantage with some key stops down the stretch, along with some big plays from Grant Nelson to earn a Hollywood date with Clemson (24-11) on Saturday (8:49 p.m. ET, TBS/truTV) in the Elite Eight.
UNC gave up 80 or more points in eight of its nine losses this season, so that was the magic number for Alabama.
Armando Bacot finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in his final game as a Tar Heel. Cormac Ryan (17 points), RJ Davis (16 points) and Harrison Ingram (12 points) joined Bacot in double figures, but Alabama scored seven of the final 10 points to clinch the victory.
RJ Davis, Tar Heels' shooting struggles
RJ Davis, the ACC Player of the Year, missed 16 of his first 20 shots — including each of his nine attempts from 3-point range — against the Tide. Davis had seven assists and made eight free throws, including the go-ahead points in the final two minutes, but his poor shooting performance was uncharacteristic in a season that saw him keep the Tar Heels at the top of the ACC as one of the top teams in the nation.
RYAN STEPS IN FOR RJ: UNC basketball's Cormac Ryan defends RJ Davis after Tar Heels' season-ending loss
HUBERT TALKS BENCH MINUTES: UNC basketball coach Hubert Davis explains bench minutes after loss to Alabama
UNC didn't have an answer for Alabama's Grant Nelson
Alabama's Grant Nelson took over in the final five minutes, scoring 12 points down the stretch to make UNC the first No. 1 seed to get bounced from the NCAA Tournament. Nelson finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks to power the Crimson Tide past the Tar Heels in the closing minutes.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC vs Alabama in March Madness: Tar Heels go cold in loss
