A Champion's Response
PHILADELPHIA – Kennedy Meeks said it all. He nailed it.
North Carolina was faced with a rare stressful situation in this 2016 NCAA Tournament when its best player, Brice Johnson, angrily sitting on the bench after picked up two quick personal fouls – the second a technical that gave him three for the game.
Notre Dame, as a result of the ensuing free throws and extra possession, extended its run to 12-0, taking a 52-51 lead on the Tar Heels with 13 minutes left to play in the East Region finals at Wells Fargo Center.
“When your best player goes out of the game you always want to pick up the slack, and it doesn’t matter who does that,” Meeks said.
And that’s what the Tar Heels did.
A powerful second-half start propelled the Tar Heels to a 51-40 lead before the Irish hit a couple of shots and started gaining steam. And before UNC knew it, Notre Dame’s run, that amassed just 1:57 from the clock, had Carolina on its heels some.
It didn’t last, as the Heels got a lift from its funny man, who also gave the team an energy boost, emotional lift, and atypical production in steering the Heels back in the right direction.
Right away, Theo Pinson stole the ball right out from Dame’s Bonzie Colson, leading to a Joel Berry jumper off an inbound. Pinson then recognized an open lane, drove and handed Zach Auguste his 3rd personal foul. Pinson missed both free throws, but the athletic Isaiah Hicks tipped the second miss. Carolina leads 59-52.
On the next offensive possession, Pinson put back an offensive rebound for a 61-52 lead. At this point exhaustion and the first signs of defeat began to creep on Dame’s face. Lets just say those leprechaun heels were no longer clicking.
What did the Mr. Levity do next? He set up Hicks with a monster alley-oop dunk. As the Carolina bench erupted, the Irish watched their luck escape from beneath them, as Carolina’s own 12-0 run was capped with the Tar Heels leading 63-52.
With a second-chance put back layup, Pinson gave the Heels a 65-56 lead with 8:06 left in the game. Carolina went on to win the game 88-74. The con man also found his name on the podium, erasing the need for a crash entry.
Just how big was Pinson’s performance?
“He kind of led that little resurgence that we had,” Justin Jackson said. “I think he had an offensive rebound, put back, had a take to the basket with a layup, and he played really good ‘D’ on the other end playing against a four-man. That’s what Theo is, pure energy. When he comes in he takes advantage of the time that he has, and he really, really did that today.”
It was Pinson, whose averaged just more than 3 points a game for the last month, not Marcus Paige or anyone else, who engineered the surge.
“I just tried to go in and do what I had to do to help the team,” Pinson said. “I mean I’m just fortunate that I was around the ball, I was able to make plays, and that’s what I thrive on going into every game, trying to make plays.”
Pinson’s rise not only demonstrates the depth and quality of the team, but the character. We all know Theo can catch the spotlight cracking jokes, but tonight he showed his heart leading the charge for UNC in the second half.
Carolina is in the final four partly due to their unmatched talent, but more importantly due to their undying and unleveled heart thrown into each minute of every game.