North Carolina survived its worst shooting game of the season by making free throws with the game on the line at Virginia Tech on Sunday afternoon.
The Tar Heels won their 12th game in a row and stayed undefeated in Atlantic Coast Conference play with a 75-70 victory over the Hokies. The win made North Carolina coach Roy Williams the first ever to win 350 or more games at two Division I programs. He won 418 games as head coach at Kansas.
North Carolina forward Brice Johnson scored 19 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. He hit the first of two free throws with 6.5 seconds left and point guard Marcus Paige made two with 17.8 seconds to salvage a poor shooting day at Cassell Coliseum.
"We got fortunate breaks," Williams said Sunday afternoon, adding that North Carolina hasn't played well in its past three outings.
Virginia Tech led once in the game - 61-59 with 8:05 remaining. Junior forward Zach LeDay led Virginia Tech with 17 points, including 9 of 11 shooting from the foul line.
Seven of the top eight teams in the AP poll lost this week, but North Carolina avoided the same fate despite blowing a lead that grew to 20 points in the first half.
"I was not satisfied with the way we played," Williams said. "About as bad a game for us as it could possibly be, but we won it."
North Carolina (18-2, 7-0) was 3 of 23 from 3-point range and shot 37.8 percent in the game. The frigid shooting got Virginia Tech back in the game late in the first half, and the Hokies wouldn't go away. Johnson made two free throws with 2:02 left to give the Tar Heels a 70-68 lead. After a defensive stop, the Tar Heels went up by four on Justin Jackson's layup.
Virginia Tech forward Jalen Hudson missed from short range but Seth Allen was fouled on the next possession to get the Hokies back within two, 72-70, with 19 seconds left.
Hudson was just 6 of 16 from the field.
Johnson finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds. Virginia Tech junior forward Zach LeDay led the Hokies with 17 points, including 9 of 11 from the foul line.
Johnson had just six points in the first half but earned his 11th double-double of the season when he scored on consecutive possessions to keep the Tar Heels ahead at the 10-minute mark.
North Carolina missed nine of first 10 attempts from 3-point range and the Hokies refused to go away.
Virginia Tech cut the lead to 39-34 at half as the Tar Heels settled for perimeter shots that wouldn't fall.
Joel Barry III made a runner with 5:51 left in the first half to push the Tar Heels' edge to 20 at 36-16. The Hokies responded with a 10-0 run sparked by Hudson and Seth Allen nailing 3-pointers a minute apart. Virginia Tech's Allen found Devin Wilson in the right corner for another 3 to narrow the game to six, 38-32, in the final minute of the first half.
NOTES: Tip-off was moved up four hours due to weather. ... This was just fifth true road game of the season for North Carolina. ... Top-ranked Oklahoma lost at Iowa State, which could put North Carolina at No. 1 in the new AP poll released Monday. Five teams have held the No. 1 ranking in the 2015-16 season.
