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It was ugly…but the Heels pulled it off. In a game that would come down to the last possession, UNC and Kentucky battled it out in Memphis with a trip to the Final Four on the line.
Mimicking December’s instant classic, Sunday’s game came down to the final seconds. However, unlike the regular season matchup, neither team shot particularly well as UNC finished shooting 47% from the floor and Kentucky shot 42%.
The keys to the game mentioned in our pregame write-up were present and accounted for. The Heels got a boost to their perimeter defense, not to mention the game-winning assist, with Theo Pinson in the lineup. Pinson was out for the December showdown and Malik Monk torched the Heels for 47 points. Tonight, he and De’Aaron Fox combined for just 25 points on 9 of 24 shooting.
The Heels also were a force in the paint outrebounding the Wildcats 44-34 and out scoring them 34-26. Luke Maye was the wildcard. The sophomore forward had shown up big for the Heels throughout the tournament and sank the game winner with 0.3 seconds remaining.
Here is your All-South Regional team:
All-South Region Team:
Luke Maye, UNC (MOP)
Justin Jackson, UNC
Joel Berry II, UNC
Isaac Humphries, Kentucky
De’Aaron Fox, Kentucky
Flip the page for the last second game winner.