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LOOK: Roy Williams reacts to North Carolina making the Elite Eight

20200517_134556by:Justin Rudolph03/25/22
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The North Carolina Tar Heels are on their way to the Elite Eight after taking down the No. 4 seed UCLA Bruins, and legendary Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams was loving every moment of it. Williams was in attendance for North Carolina’s victory on Friday night showing the team he was leading last year his love and support.

North Carolina was able to secure a spot in the Elite Eight in large part thanks to the exceptional play of Caleb Love. After scoring just three points in the first half, Love delivered 27 second-half points to finish with a team-high 30. Afterward, you could see Williams in the stands celebrating the win.

Love wasn’t going to let North Carolina be knocked out of the NCAA Tournament. With his team trailing 64-61 with about 1:30 left to play in the Sweet Sixteen against UCLA, Love drilled a 3-pointer to tie the game.

Just one possession after hitting that shot, Love nailed another shot from deep to give the Tar Heels a 67-64 lead. They would carry that momentum the rest of the game on their way to a 71-66 victory to advance to the Elite Eight.

Up next for the Tar Heels is a date in the Elite Eight against the Cinderella of this year’s tournament, the Saint Peters Peacocks. Saint Peters took down the No. 3 team in their region, the Purdue Boilermakers, in the early game on Friday 67-64.

North Carolina advances with star player injured during Sweet Sixteen

North Carolina center Armando Bacot is dealing with a back injury in Friday’s Sweet Sixteen matchup against UCLA. After the big man was seen being worked on near the Tar Heels bench, CBS Sports sideline reporter Jamie Erdahl provided an update.

“Bacot was getting treatment on his low back over on the bench over here,” Erdahl said on the broadcast. “He looked stiff as he walked around. He did a couple different massage treatments and sat on a pad on the seat. Obviously something’s uncomfortable with him, just something to keep an eye on.”

The injury did not keep Bacot sidelined for any significant period of time, as he re-entered the game around the four-minute mark. So far he has made a big impact on the game, scoring six points to go along with seven rebounds.