CHARLESTON, S.C. — North Carolina had the answers Tuesday night.
Tasked with overcoming a double-digit deficit and navigating a rowdy road assignment, the No. 18 Tar Heels found the right responses in a 94-83 men’s basketball victory against College of Charleston at soldout TD Arena.
Armando Bacot delivered 24 points and 12 rebounds and Caleb Love supplied 21 points as part of his assertive second half, as North Carolina (3-0) withstood the fired up Cougars and this charged environment.
Brady Manek added 15 points and Kerwin Walton provided 14 points, including two useful 3-pointers down the stretch, when College of Charleston (3-1) threatened and the home crowd reached full blast.
This night served up an energized environment and feisty mid-major opponent to test the Tar Heels, before they encounter the elite challenges that wait this weekend at the Hall of Fame Tip-off Tournament at the Mohegan Sun. North Carolina meets No. 6 Purdue on Saturday, followed by either No. 5 Villanova or No. 17 Tennessee on Sunday.
The College of Charleston student section was packed and pumped up more than an hour prior to tip-off here Tuesday night, serenading North Carolina’s players with a number of heckles and chants of “we want Duke!”
Across the way, the legendary Roy Williams, a spectator now in his retirement from coaching, posed for photos with fans of both the Tar Heels and College of Charleston.
This report will be updated with comments from the Tar Heels and more information.
Adam Smith is a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News and USA TODAY Network. You can reach him by email at asmith@thetimesnews.com or @adam_smithTN on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Times-News: UNC basketball finds answers to solve feisty College of Charleston