Luke Maye and Nassir Little found holes in the middle of the defense as each scored 20 en route to an 81-59 shellacking of Washington to advance to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
The Huskies, winners of the Pac-10 regular season, packed into a zone from the start. UNC’s Coby White loosened the zone with four threes over a five-minute period in the first half. And then Maye, Little and others attacked the middle.
“The key today was getting it to the middle – that was a soft spot,” said UNC’s Cam Johnson, who had a team-high seven assists.
When Maye got it, he tended to turn quickly and hit short or mid-range jumpers. When Little got it, he tended to attack the rim and elevate over the defenders for baskets.
“Luke is an intelligent player who finds the holes in the zone really well,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “Nas is gifted around the basket.”
He said Little uses his quickness, leaping ability and power to cause opponents’ problems. “He can hurt a lot of people inside,” Coach Williams said.
Little, who comes off the bench, got a little more playing time than usual as Garrison Brooks spent several minutes in the locker after getting his mouth busted. He had to have stitches and lost a tooth on a play where the offender wasn’t even charged with a foul.
Carolina led only 41-33 at the half though as the Heels went through a turnover stretch. The Heels had 10 turnovers, including five out of eight possessions at one stretch.
In the second half, the Heels cut the turnovers in half and shot over 50 percent from the field.
The Huskies, who relied heavily on the three-point shot (they had only three two-point field goals in the second half), briefly cut the deficit to five in the first half. But then, the Heels went on a 13-0 run that set the tone for the second half and all but did in Washington.
Johnson started the stretch with a three from the right corner and then hit a baseline jumper. After Maye hit a three, trailing the fastbreak, the Huskies called a timeout. But it didn’t slow the Heels as Brooks bounced an assist to Maye and then Maye hit a 10 footer in the lane.
After White sunk a free throw, Carolin had its biggest lead to that point at 18, 54-36.
It never got closer than 12 from then on out as the Tar Heels worked the lead up to ask many as 25 points.
Joining Little and Maye in double figures were White, who had 17, and Johnson, who had 13.
The Tar Heels, now 29-6, play Auburn Friday evening. Washington, led by Nowell Jaylen’s 12 points, ends the season at 28-7.
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