Wake Forest Demon Deacons @ North Carolina Tar Heels
Love, Bacot help North Carolina beat Wake Forest 80-73
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- — Freshman Caleb Love had a season-high 20 points, Armando Bacot scored 14 of his 18 in the second half, and North Carolina beat Wake Forest 80-73 on Wednesday night.
RJ Davis scored 13 points, Garrison Brooks 10, and Leaky Black added eight points, six rebounds and eight assists for North Carolina (9-5, 4-3 Atlantic Coast Conference).
Bacot, who made 8 of 10 from the field, hit a jumper to spark a 12-0 run that made it 45-35 and the Tar Heels never again trailed. Wake Forest's Daivien Williamson and Jalen Johnson hit back-to-back 3-pointers to make 53-all with 10 minutes to play, but Bacot answered with a layup and his dunk with 4:45 left gave North Carolina a 10-point lead.
Williamson and Isaiah Mucius each scored a career-high 27 points for Wake Forest (3-6, 0-6). Mucius, who went into to the game shooting 16.7% (4 of 24) from 3-point range, made a career-high seven 3s on 12 attempts.
The first half featured nine lead changes and seven ties before the Demon Deacons took a 33-31 lead into the break. North Carolina shot 55% (17 of 31) from the field, made 15 of 21 from the free-throw line, and scored 26 of its 36 points in the paint after halftime.
Wake Forest, which has lost six in a row, shot 39% overall and committed 20 turnovers.
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Game Information
Chapel Hill, NC

Referee:Mike Roberts
Referee:Clarence Armstrong
Referee:Michael Stephens

2025-26 Standings
| Atlantic Coast ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 17-1 | - | 35-3 |
| Virginia | 15-3 | 2 | 30-6 |
| Miami | 13-5 | 4 | 26-9 |
| North Carolina | 12-6 | 5 | 24-9 |
| Clemson | 12-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Louisville | 11-7 | 6 | 24-11 |
| NC State | 10-8 | 7 | 20-14 |
| Florida State | 10-8 | 7 | 18-15 |
| California | 9-9 | 8 | 22-12 |
| Stanford | 9-9 | 8 | 20-13 |
| Virginia Tech | 8-10 | 9 | 19-13 |
| SMU | 8-10 | 9 | 20-14 |
| Wake Forest | 7-11 | 10 | 18-17 |
| Syracuse | 6-12 | 11 | 15-17 |
| Pittsburgh | 5-13 | 12 | 13-20 |
| Notre Dame | 4-14 | 13 | 13-18 |
| Boston College | 4-14 | 13 | 11-20 |
| Georgia Tech | 2-16 | 15 | 11-20 |
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