With North Carolina on a 20-7 run and leading 46-43 with 12:53 to play, the Tar Heels held all the momentum. Virginia’s players looked shaken as their once-nine-point lead shrank, dwindled, and disappeared at the hands of the No. 8 Tar Heels. Body language didn’t favor the road team, and the Carolina blue-clad fans jumped up and down and rained cheers down onto the court.
The No. 4 Cavaliers wouldn’t quit, however.
“We just kept challenging,” Virginia head coach Tony Bennett said after the game. “Hang in there, get a stop. You’re still in it. Ty [Jerome] said to relax.