The Wildcats came into Chapel Hill as the No. 11 team in the country but No. 18 UNC pulled out an 82-77 victory.
It took a strong second half by Marcus Paige, who went 0-for-5 in the first half, to hold off Kentucky, which was fouling down the stretch to stay in the game.
Paige, with 13:25 left, came up with a steal and layup to give Carolina a 48-46 lead. A 10-2 UNC run put the Tar Heels in good shape at 54-48 but 11:47 to play.
But a fourth foul on JP Tokoto, who along with James Michael McAdoo had led the Heels to a 33-30 halftime lead, put things in doubt.
A Paige three and a short baseline floater kept the Wildcats at bay, with the lead getting as high as eight. Paige sank eight straight free throws in the last three minutes to wrap it up, despite some free throw misses by other Tar Heels.
“That’s the most intense the Dean Smith Center has been since I’ve been here,” said Paige, who finished with 23 points, 21 of which were scored in the second half.
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