Off the cuff: UNC coach Roy Wlliams said Anthony Harris, who has been out since December of 2019, has been wanting to play but the coach didn't want to rush things as the guard hadn't gotten enough practice time.
"He plays with a tremendous amount of energy," Coach Williams said. "His energy level is extremely important to us and it gave us a little lift at that time."
When he was on the court, the Tar Heels outscored FSU by 10 points. In contrast, when freshman Caleb Love was in at guard, the Seminoles outscored Carolina by 12 points.
The players weren't expecting Harris to get in the game and he didn't until well into the second half. "No. I didn't expect Ant to play but he gave us a huge lift," Garrison Brooks said. "We needed somebody new, some new energy, and that's what he did for us."
While he scored five points, including a three, Brooks said it's his defense that particularly helps the Heels.
Harris said it felt great to be back on the court. "I've been out for over a year now so just getting a run in is always going to be good. I was ready to play today. I didn't fully expect to play but he told me to stay ready so that's what I did," he said.
Coach Williams would have played Harris more had the redshirt freshman been able to go. "I was a little tired today, I can't fake anything," Harris said. "I have had limited practices, I'm still trying to get my wind back."
Another freshman guard R.J. Davis, who led the Heels in scoring with 16 points, said he was surprised but happy to see Harris check into the game.
" I was at the free throw line and saw Ant and had to double check for a second," he said. "Ant is a ball of energy, on ball, off the ball, on both ends of the court. For him to be on the court with us, he changed the game. You could tell by the way that as soon as he came in, everyone was just locked in. He had a couple of possessions where he played good defense and then got a backdoor layup and a corner three. For him to step into the five like that and for the amount of time he was out there he brought a lot of energy. It kind of changed the game."
Florida State 82, Tar Heels 75 Heels can't toe the (FT) line with Noles
Florida State's 26 of 27 free throws, including four during an 8-2 run over the last two minutes, ended North Carolina's three-game win streak with an 82-75 win in Tallahassee. (1/16)
It was the third-best percentage (.963) ever in a game against UNC by an opponent with 20 or more free throw attempts. "You can't put people on the free throw line like that," UNC coach Roy Williams said.
The Tar Heels, who scored 15 fewer free throws, made 10 three pointers, the most in more than two years but the Seminoles made eight threes themselves.
Carolina trailed by 10 at 72-62 with less than six minutes to go but went on an 11-2 run, highlighted by five points from Anthony Harris, who was seeing his first action of the season.
Down just 74-73 with two minutes, the Tar Heels couldn't get over the hump.
Coach Williams said he doesn't believe in moral victories but he just wants his team to play better right now. "You get the game to a one-possession game and you make some mistakes, miss some shots, you're not quite as powerful going up with it," Williams said, "or you get it to one and then you don't get a defensive stop. We just got to get better in all of those things."
This was the first time freshmen guards R.J. Davis (16), Caleb Love (11) and Kerwin Walton (14) have scored in double figures in the same game. Senior Garrison Brooks was the fourth Tar Heel in double figures with 12 points.
A bright spot for the Tar Heels was the return of Harris, who has been out for more than a year recuperating from a knee injury. In less than nine minutes in the second half Harris scored five points and dished out three assists.
Florida State's M.J. Walker scored 20 points but the surprise was Raiquan Gray who had a career-high 19 to help provide the Seminoles with their 20th consecutive home conference victory.
There were four ties and five lead changes in the first half as the Seminoles led 41-37 at the break. But the Tar Heels never tied it or took the lead in the second half.
The Seminoles improve to 7-2 overall and 3-1 in the ACC. The Tar Heels, now 8-5 overall and 3-3 in the conference, host Wake Forest Wednesday.
