Villanova upends No. 14 North Carolina in Bahamas

Field Level Media|published: Thu 23rd November, 18:01 2023

Nov 23, 2023; Paradise Island, BAHAMAS; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Harrison Ingram (55) and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jalen Washington (13) battle for the ball with Villanova Wildcats guard TJ Bamba (0) during the first half at Imperial Arena. credits: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

A game between North Carolina and Villanova once again came down to the wire.

In the semifinals of the Battle 4 Atlantis, Mark Armstrong's pair of free throws with 11 seconds left in overtime proved to be the difference as the Wildcats took down the No. 14 Tar Heels, 83-81 at Paradise Island, Bahamas.

Armstrong scored 10 points for the Wildcats (5-1), but the club was really powered by Eric Dixon's 34 points and 10 rebounds. Justin Moore added 16 points as Villanova handed the Tar Heels (4-1) their first loss.

For North Carolina, RJ Davis had 23 points, Harrison Ingram scored 20 and Cormac Ryan — who was helped off the floor with an apparent foot injury late in overtime — tallied 18. Armando Bacot grabbed 18 rebounds and scored eight points.

In the 2016 national championship game, Villanova famously beat North Carolina 77-74 on Kris Jenkins' buzzer-beating 3-pointer.

On Friday in the Battle 4 Atlantis championship game, Villanova will face either Memphis versus Arkansas. North Carolina will face the loser in the third-place game.

After the Wildcats led briefly midway through the first half, the Tar Heels used a 13-0 run to grab a nine-point lead. Ryan scored seven of his points in that stretch.

Villanova battled back though, using a 14-4 run to take another brief lead until Davis swished a 3-pointer just before halftime. Dixon scored eight points during the Wildcats' surge.

In the second half — after Davis got clobbered in traffic while attempting a layup — both teams picked up technical fouls as Ingram and TJ Bamba mixed things up. After the technicals, North Carolina went on an 11-4 run to build another nine-point lead. Davis powered the run this time, knocking down two 3-pointers and dishing out an assist.

Villanova held a three-point lead late in regulation, but a 3-pointer from Ryan with 34 seconds left tied the game up. Dixon and Davis both missed go-ahead shots in the final moments of regulation.

Villanova won despite shooting worse from the floor — 38.3 percent to the Tar Heels' 43.1 percent. The Wildcats also had just five assists and nine turnovers.

—Field Level Media