After one half of the first ACC Tournament semifinal game, the NC State Wolfpack lead North Carolina 34-31. The Tar Heels are playing without star forward John Henson, who injured his wrist in UNC's quarterfinal game against Maryland. In addition to Henson's absence, Roy Williams has had to deal with early foul trouble as James Michael McAdoo, Henson's replacement, picked up his third foul with less than a minute remaining in the first half. Point guard Kendall Marshall also sat out the final six-plus minutes of the half after he picked up two early fouls. He left the game with UNC down five.
ACC Tournament Semifinal, North Carolina Vs. NC State: Wolfpack Lead Tar Heels By 3 After First Half
C.J. Leslie dominated the first half for Mark Gottfried's club, hitting seven of nine attempts from the floor and exposing UNC's depleted front line. He has a game-high 15 points through the first 20 minutes. Lorenzo Brown added nine points for a Wolfpack team looking to play their way off the bubble and advance to the ACC title game.
The Heels have beaten their in-state rival 12 straight times, but that streak is in jeopardy as they will have to overcome significant foul trouble in the second half. Marshall will have to be particularly careful early on playing with two. With their quarterfinal win over Virginia, the Wolfpack jumped into the field in Saturday’s edition of SB Nation’s bracketology. An upset win over the No. 1 seed would be huge for their bubble resume.
For more on this game, check out North Carolina blog Carolina March and N.C. State blog Backing The Pack. For more on the ACC tourney, make sure to follow this StoryStream. For more on college tournaments nationwide, head over to SB Nation’s dedicated NCAA basketball hub.
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