CHAPEL HILL – UNC basketball got back to its strengths Saturday in a 96-81 win against Virginia Tech at the Smith Center.

After reaching the finish line with 20 wins and no trip to the NCAA Tournament last season, the seventh-ranked Tar Heels (20-6, 12-3 ACC) reached that mark this year with five games to play in the regular season. As of Saturday, UNC is projected to be a No. 2 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

With its win against the Hokies (14-11, 6-8), UNC remains atop the ACC standings and in control of the race for the regular-season conference championship.

Eight players scored for the Tar Heels, led by Armando Bacot, who finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds. RJ Davis (20 points), Cormac Ryan (16 points) and Harrison Ingram (12 points, 17 rebounds) joined Bacot in double figures.

Here are three takeaways from UNC’s victory against Virginia Tech.

Virginia Tech no match for UNC basketball’s Armando Bacot

The Hokies got UNC’s lead to single digits in the second half, but they didn’t have an answer for Armando Bacot. Every time Virginia Tech put some pressure on the Heels, Bacot countered with some key baskets – and a kick-out assist to Cormac Ryan – to widen the gap. Bacot made five shots in a row during a stretch and finished the second half with 19 points. When he plays with that aggression, UNC is a different team.

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Harrison Ingram double-double in first half

Harrison Ingram snatched rebound after rebound and showed off his scoring ability around the basket to set the tone for UNC in the first half, reaching 1,000 points in his career. Ingram had 11 points and 12 rebounds in 18 minutes to help the Tar Heels take an 11-point lead into the locker room. It’s Ingram’s second double-double in a row.

UNC basketball improves rebounding, defense, points in paint

Overall, UNC’s defense limited the Hokies to 41% shooting and had a 25-16 rebounding advantage in the first half. The Tar Heels also made 11 of 13 free throws in the first half after attempting 11 in the loss at Syracuse. The second half had a bit more of an All-Star-game feel with the teams trading baskets, but UNC got more than 50 points in the paint and won the rebounding battle by double digits.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC basketball's Harrison Ingram, Armando Bacot lead Tar Heels in win