By: Matt Bowers
LAWRENCE, KAN.— Ninth-ranked North Carolina trailed by 20 points in the first half and roared back to take a second-half lead but fell short, 92-89, at top-ranked Kansas on Friday night at Allen Fieldhouse.
Junior guard Seth Trimble led Carolina with a career-high 19 points, hitting 10 of 10 from the free throw line while also grabbing four rebounds. RJ Davis shot just 3 for 15 from the floor but was 9 for 11 from the line and scored 16 points. Elliot Cadeau had 12 points and seven assists, and Jae’Lyn Withers hit a trio of three-pointers and finished with 11 points and nine boards.
Zeke Mayo led all scorers with 21 points for the Jayhawks. Hunter Dickinson added 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Carolina was 28 for 31 at the free throw line while Kansas was 12 for 17 at the charity stripe.
Kansas dominated the first half and led, 53-38, at the break. The Jayhawks outscored Carolina in the paint, 30-10, while creating Tar Heel foul trouble. UNC’s big men combined for nine fouls in the opening 20 minutes, including three by Ty Claude and two each by Jalen Washington, Withers and Ven-Allen Lubin.
KU’s 53 points were the most Carolina has allowed in a first half in four seasons under head coach Hubert Davis. The Jayhawks’ 15-point halftime lead was the largest by a Tar Heel opponent since February 7, 2023, against Wake Forest.
UNC quickly sliced into the KU lead in the early portion of the second half. After trailing by as many as 20 points in the first, Carolina cut the lead to single digits before the first media timeout, opening the second half on a 10-4 run with all the points coming from Davis and Trimble. Shortly thereafter, Withers hit a three-pointer and Jalen Washington’s follow dunk cut the KU lead to 59-53.
With 8:49 remaining, Withers drained his second three-pointer of the game to make it a two-point game at 77-75 to cap a 9-0 run and force a Jayhawk timeout. When Withers hit a shot in the paint for an 80-79 Tar Heel lead, it was the first time UNC had rallied from 20 points down to take the lead in a game since trailing Georgia Tech, 29-9, on January 16, 2010.
The Jayhawks held Carolina scoreless over the final 2:03 of the game to seal the victory.
The Tar Heels will host American on Friday November 15 at 8 p.m. in the Smith Center.
