No. 14 North Carolina clawed its way back from a double-digit deficit, but a last-second attempt from Marcus Paige rimmed out and Texas escaped with an 86-83 win Wednesday night at the Dean Dome.
North Carolina vs. Texas recap: Tar Heel comeback falls short in Chapel Hill
North Carolina has beaten Louisville and Michigan State, but the Tar Heels dropped their third game to an unranked opponent Wednesday night.
It was North Carolina’s third loss of the year, though the Tar Heels have also beaten Michigan State and Louisville.
Texas led for most of this one, including by 11 at halftime. But the Tar Heels slowly erased the lead and tied the game at 72-72 with a little under four minutes to play. However on the next Longhorn possession, Javan Felix hit a three to put Texas back on top.
A few minutes later, it was Felix again. He hit a jumper to answer a Kennedy Meeks three-point play, then hit a three of his own on the next possession to make it 82-77 with 1:06 to go.
Of course the Tar Heels were not done. A three from Marcus Paige made it a one-point game with 13 seconds left, and North Carolina quickly fouled. But the failure to box out allowed DeMarcus Holland to score off his own missed free throw.
North Carolina was not able to tie the game at the buzzer.
Isaiah Taylor had 16 points to lead four Longhorns in double figures. Paige had 23 points and seven rebounds to lead North Carolina.
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