This college basketball season has had one main theme this season: right when teams look to be unbeatable, they get proven otherwise in convincing fashion. That's exactly what happened to the fourth-ranked Gonzaga Bulldogs on Saturday night, as No. 12 North Carolina blew them out on their home floor, 103-90, in a top-15 showdown. The 103 points were the most points given up by Gonzaga this season, as they dropped their second game in the past two weeks since being the No. 1 team in the country. The Tar Heels are now 5-0 on their home floor, and they were led by Cameron Johnson's 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
Within that 25-point effort for Johnson was also six three-pointers, helping North Carolina shoot 55 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three-point range. They had at least 50 points in each half, including a 53-39 lead at the break. That helped them overcome Gonzaga outscoring them, 51-50, in a high-scoring second half. The Tar Heels shot 57 percent in the first half alone, and despite Gonzaga's impressive play after halftime, they never got closer than eight points.
Within this big night for North Carolina, was Luke Maye reaching 1,000 career points, becoming the 78th player in Tar Heels history to reach that milestone. The senior reached that feat with a three-point play late in the game, as he finished with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He is the first player to reach that milestone for North Carolina since Joel Berry did it in 2017. Johnson has also reached 1,000 points in his career, but he has spent most of his college ball days with Pittsburgh.
The Tar Heels built a 21-point lead in the first half by dominating with 14 offensive rebounds, which in turn gave them a 27-0 lead in second chance points. These large advantages made the Bulldogs' 56 percent shooting in the second half be irrelevant to the final score. Zach Norvell Jr. led Gonzaga with 21 points in their second straight loss to a top-15 team.
Gonzaga will be back home on Tuesday night to host Texas-Arlington in a winnable game, while North Carolina will enjoy a week off before another showdown on their home floor with the 15th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
Within that 25-point effort for Johnson was also six three-pointers, helping North Carolina shoot 55 percent from the floor and 52 percent from three-point range. They had at least 50 points in each half, including a 53-39 lead at the break. That helped them overcome Gonzaga outscoring them, 51-50, in a high-scoring second half. The Tar Heels shot 57 percent in the first half alone, and despite Gonzaga's impressive play after halftime, they never got closer than eight points.
Within this big night for North Carolina, was Luke Maye reaching 1,000 career points, becoming the 78th player in Tar Heels history to reach that milestone. The senior reached that feat with a three-point play late in the game, as he finished with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting. He is the first player to reach that milestone for North Carolina since Joel Berry did it in 2017. Johnson has also reached 1,000 points in his career, but he has spent most of his college ball days with Pittsburgh.
The Tar Heels built a 21-point lead in the first half by dominating with 14 offensive rebounds, which in turn gave them a 27-0 lead in second chance points. These large advantages made the Bulldogs' 56 percent shooting in the second half be irrelevant to the final score. Zach Norvell Jr. led Gonzaga with 21 points in their second straight loss to a top-15 team.
Gonzaga will be back home on Tuesday night to host Texas-Arlington in a winnable game, while North Carolina will enjoy a week off before another showdown on their home floor with the 15th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats.
