No. 11 North Carolina beats Western Carolina
North Carolina kept shoot, shoot, shooting from outside. The 11thranked Tar Heels didn’t miss much, either.
Luke Maye had 12 points and 12 rebounds while UNC hit a seasonhigh 16 3-pointers to beat Western Carolina 104-61 on Wednesday night, turning in a strong offensive performance to head into an 11-day exam break.
The Tar Heels (9-1) shot 57 percent and made 16 of 22 3-point attempts, coming one shy of matching the program record for made 3s in a game. It tied the record for made 3s under 15th-year coach Roy Williams, while the 72.7 percent conversion rate was a school record for a game in which the Tar Heels had at least 20 attempts.
It allowed Williams to rely on a bit of analysis he’s fond of throwing out on good shooting nights.
“Everything looks great when the ball goes in the basket,” Williams said, “and it went in the basket tonight.”
The Tar Heels came into the game shooting about 36 percent from behind the arc, though it marked the third time in the past four games they had hit at least 42 percent on 3s.
The difference was volume; they hadn’t made more than 11 3s in a game this season.
“I think it’s something teams have to worry about because we have so many shooters,” said Kenny Williams, who scored 13 points and made 3 of 4 3-pointers. “We can throw in a lineup where you have all five guys that can shoot the ball. And then it’s more dangerous because it spreads the floor.”
LOYOLA-CHICAGO 65, NO. 5 FLORIDA 59: Aundre Jackson scored 23 points, Cameron Krutwig added 14 and Loyola-Chicago stunned No. 5 Florida, handing the Gators a third consecutive loss. Less than 48 hours after Florida coach Mike White said his team’s performance against rival Florida State was “the epitome of soft,” the Gators delivered another dud. This one could knock them out of The Associated Press Top 25 next week, especially if they lose to 17th-ranked Cincinnati in New Jersey on Saturday. Arizona went from No. 2 to unranked earlier this season. The Gators (5-3) shot 36.9 percent from the field, missed 17 of 19 3-point attempts and finished with seven assists.
NO. 13 XAVIER 96, KENT STATE 70: Trevon Bluiett scored 26 points — the seventh time he’s had 20 this season — and No. 13 Xavier took control with an 18-point run, pulling away to a victory over Kent State. The Musketeers (8-1) built upon their impressive week. They beat No. 16 Baylor 76-63 last Tuesday at the Cintas Center. Four days later, they hosted crosstown rival Cincinnati, got ahead by 23 points and beat the then-No. 11 Bearcats 89-76. They never trailed against Kent State (5-4),