Sean Pedulla made a 3-point shot.
The Virginia Tech men's basketball team defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 80-72 on Sunday.
The Hokies built an 18-point lead in the second half and held on to beat the Tar Heels.
"I told the guys that I'm disappointed, but I'm not discouraged,'' Davis said. I was disappointed with the outcome, but I was happy with the fight in the second half. I told them that I'm fine. I am not one of those people. I'm confident that we'll be a great basketball team by the end of the season, because this is a good basketball team.
The Tar Heels were able to cut the lead to 67-64 on a layup by Love with 3:06 left, but that was as close as they would get.
Virginia Tech coach Mike Young said they did the things they were supposed to do when it got to three. There was a level of determination and resilience when the heat was on. It was a nice job done by them.
Today, we needed it. Someone like the Tar Heels was needed. There was a heightened sense of awareness and acceptance of the grind that goes along with winning games. The day was a good one for the Hokies.
The AP's preseason No. 1 team, North Carolina, played without its center, who was injured. The preseason player of the year had started every game in his career and was the team's leading scorer and rebounder.
The absence of Bacot allowed Virginia Tech and others to take advantage of it. He grabbed 11 Rebounds and connected on 12 of 16 from the Floor. The Hokies shot 51 percent from the floor.
"My teammates and my coaches are putting a lot of trust in me and that's why I'm doing so well,'' he said. A lot of it is the plays that are being made. There are certain openings that I was able to take advantage of.
The Tar Heels have not been tough in recent times. North Carolina allowed 42 points in the paint to the Hokies, while Indiana and Alabama scored 50 and 40 points in the paint.
Love, Pete Nance and R.J. Davis each had 18 points.
North Carolina will likely drop out of the Top 25 when the updated poll is released on Monday because of the four losses it has suffered during this skid.
The defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion played their best game of the season and seem to be together. Following a loss to the College of Charleston, Virginia Tech has since won three in a row.
The AP contributed to the story.
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