GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina had the Atlantic Coast Conference championship within reach.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — North Carolina had the Atlantic Coast Conference championship within reach.
The 19th-ranked Tar Heels were playing confidently, shooting well and getting enough stops to keep No. 11 Notre Dame’s efficient offense under control until midway through the second half. But a couple of turnovers set the Irish loose on a game-turning run, denying North Carolina the chance to become the first team to win four games in four days at the ACC Tournament in Saturday night’s 90-82 loss.
“I can’t blame that on (fatigue),” freshman guard Justin Jackson said. “They played three games in three days. If they played one game and we played four games, then maybe you could say that, but that’s not an excuse at all. They made that run and we didn’t respond, and they made big plays down the stretch.”
The Tar Heels accomplished plenty in this year’s tournament, namely showing more of the toughness that coach Roy Williams has been begging for in wins against No. 14 Louisville and No. 3 Virginia. Jackson continued his improved shooting of recent weeks while Marcus Paige — who had been plagued by foot pain for much of the season — had another strong game and looked as healthy as he has all year.
But Williams said his team panicked a bit during that mid-second half stretch, which included a throwaway from freshman guard Joel Berry II, a turnover on a jump ball that went to the Irish, a missed drive from Paige and Jackson throwing away an entry pass for Johnson. And Notre Dame pounced.
“It was just a couple of mental lapses back to back that really hurt,” Paige said. “I don’t really know why we had them.”
For Notre Dame, Jerian Grant scored 24 points and the Irish took over with a 26-3 second-half run.
Pat Connaughton added 20 points for the third-seeded Irish (29-5). They went from trailing by nine to up double figures with a stunning burst that seized momentum in what amounted to a road game and sent the program to its first title in any league.
Connaughton came up with a pair of 3s during Notre Dame’s go-ahead run, with the Irish getting into a fast-paced, free-flowing attack against the Tar Heels (24-11).
When it was over, Notre Dame had turned a 63-54 deficit into an 80-66 lead with 2:54 left and largely silenced a home-state UNC crowd featuring plenty of blue in the Greensboro Coliseum seats.
The Irish had been to six Big East Tournament semifinals in 18 seasons in the league but never reached the final, then bolted for the ACC before last season.
Notre Dame had reached the final with an upset of No. 2 Duke in Saturday’s semifinals. Coach Mike Brey said afterward “there would be no greater achievement in the history of our program” than to complete the title run, joking — or maybe not — that they would have to put an asterisk by it if they beat both Duke and North Carolina in their home state to do it.
Grant was selected the tournament MVP. He also had 10 assists and went 15 for 18 from the foul line.
Paige scored 22 of his 24 points after halftime for the fifth-seeded Tar Heels, who were trying to become the first team in tournament history to take home the title with four wins in four days.
Instead, as Notre Dame found its groove and started burying shots from just about everywhere, North Carolina suddenly looked lost.
Notre Dame shot 54 percent, made 10 of 20 3-pointers and hit 28 of 32 free throws to keep the pressure on the Tar Heels’ defenders.
UNC shot 58 percent after halftime, but just couldn’t keep up once Notre Dame got rolling.
TIP-INS
North Carolina: Brice Johnson scored 20 points on 10-for-12 shooting. … Jackson had been on a roll in the tournament, but scored just seven on 3-for-12 shooting while missing all seven 3-point tries. … The Tar Heels were trying to become the first No. 5 seed to win the tournament.
Notre Dame: All five starters scored in double figures. … Zach Auguste had 16 points and 13 rebounds. … Notre Dame scored 51 second-half points.
POWER SHIFT?
Notre Dame’s win marked the fourth straight year that a school from outside of North Carolina won the league tournament, following Florida State in 2012, Miami in 2013 and Virginia last year. It’s the longest such stretch in league history.
STILL WAITING
The Tar Heels reached the final for the fourth time in five years, but they haven’t won the tournament since 2008.