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Off the cuff: Well, that was a switch. Even in games that the Tar Heels win fairly handily, they haven't come out this hot.

After R.J. Davis looped in a short shot, Carolina led 24-1 with 11:40 left in the first half.

A week earlier the Tar Heels trailed Duke 31-8. In this one, Carolina led 33-8 at one point.

Both games ended with a 20-point margin except this time with the Heels on top.

The 64-24 halftime lead was the largest lead at the break a Carolina team has ever had against an ACC team. The Heels led non-conference Florida Atlantic by 47 at the break during the 2006-2007 season.

In addition, the 18-0 start was the best start for a Carolina team since a 19-0 start against Wake Forest in 2019.

Now the second half was a bit ugly. With 62 points in the first half, you'd think Carolina would have hit the century mark for the game.

"Our energy and effort went down in the second half," Coach Davis said. "We want to practice good habits throughout the games."

Kerwin Walton and Dontrez Styles each got 16 minutes of playing time off the bench for the Heels with Walton scoring nine and Styles contributing eight.

Tar Heels 94, Florida State 74
Highlight reel first half propels Carolina

North Carolina scored the first 18 points of the game and shot 74 percent in the first half to overwhelm Florida State 94-74 in Chapel Hill. (2/12)

The Tar Heels used crisp passing, a series of dunks and layups and nine threes in the first half to lead by as many as 39, going into the locker with a 62-24 lead.

Carolina's stingy defense kept the Seminoles from scoring a basket in the first eight plus minutes of the game as the Heels held a 24-1 lead.

"We were really good defensively and that led to some offense," UNC coach Hubert Davis said. "Our defensive execution was nearly perfect in the first half."

Offensively, the Tar Heels scored 13 straight points in just over two minutes early to set the tone for the day. Brady Manek drained a three from the left corner. Then the Heels executed a nifty Leaky Black to Manek back to Black play that resulted in a layup and free throw.

After an Armando Bacot drive to the hoop, Caleb Love passed to Manek on the fast break and the transfer flushed a two-handed dunk. Seconds later Love popped in a three from the left sideline right in front of the FSU bench and the visitors took a timeout.

But Florida State never really had a chance after that. A Bacot bucket early in the second half put the Heels up by 40 at 64-24. The final score was half that margin as Carolina, in the second half, substituted more freely and went cold from beyond the arc. The Heels were nine of 12 from three-point land in the first half but managed just three of 15 in the second half.

While Carolina shot 74 percent in the first half, the Heels finished shooting just 55 percent for the game.

"When we play well, we really play well," Coach Davis said. "And when we don't play well, we really don't play well."

Four Tar Heels scored in double figures. Love finished with 18 points while Bacot scored 17 and hauled in 14 rebounds. Manek and R.J. Davis each tallied 16 points.

Florida State, who were near the top of the league with a 6-2 record, have now lost six in a row to fall to 6-8 in the ACC and 13-11 overall.

North Carolina, now 18-7 overall and 10-4 in the ACC, hosts Pittsburgh Wednesday night.

Box Score

UNC's Caleb Love led the Heels with 18 points. (UNC Sports Information photo by Anthony Sorbellini.)

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