UNC vs. Kansas State: Score and Highlights from CBE Hall of Fame Classic 2015

The "North Carolina really misses Marcus Paige" storylines were all ready to go in Tar Heel country. Then the final three minutes of Tuesday's CBE Hall of Fame Classic final in Kansas City happened.

North Carolina knocked off Kansas State to the tune of 80-70 and overcame a five-point deficit with just more than three minutes left in the game with a 17-2 closing run. The late flurry helped the No. 9 team in the nation avoid a second loss without their star point guard, who is dealing with a broken bone in his hand, and gave them an early-season victory against a quality opponent in a hostile environment.

Justin Jackson led the way with 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal, and North Carolina controlled the glass with a 44-30 advantage. Theo Pinson, Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson also scored in double figures. 

As for Kansas State, freshman Kamau Stokes hit six three-pointers and finished with 24 points, but he turned the ball over multiple times in the decisive closing stretch. Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle discussed the youngster's performance:

Myron Medcalf of ESPN had a harsher view of the Wildcats' late collapse:

Those expecting a straightforward North Carolina victory were surprised with the start of the game. Kansas State took a 32-30 lead into the locker room and forced seven Tar Heels turnovers in the first 20 minutes. 

Curtis Kitchen of SB Nation was impressed with the young Wildcats' ability to stay with North Carolina's perimeter star power:

The biggest issue for North Carolina wasn't the score as much as the fact Johnson picked up his third foul just before halftime. His presence was especially important in a game without Paige. Brian Barbour of SB Nation pointed to coach Roy Williams' frustration with the development:

Carolina Basketball acknowledged another concern at the half:

Three-point shooting continued to be an issue for North Carolina in the second half, but it was on the other side of the floor. Stokes came out on fire and extended the lead to four points, and Robinett reacted:

The Tar Heels battled back to take a 46-42 lead before Stokes drilled another triple. Even with Stokes hitting from the outside, Robinett acknowledged something working in North Carolina's favor: 

"

K-State has overcome it so far, but it can't keep missing all these layups.

— Kellis Robinett (@KellisRobinett) November 25, 2015"

Layup issues or not, Kansas State went on a small spurt in the middle of the second half to establish a five-point lead after Williams went to a zone to avoid more foul trouble. Bleacher Report's C.J. Moore commented on the development:

North Carolina answered right back with two straight and-ones from Jackson and Meeks and seized a 54-53 lead with less than eight minutes remaining. Barbour weighed in on the run:

Just when it looked as if the Wildcats were in trouble heading into crunch time, they went to their hot hand, who once again gave them the lead at 57-56. Seth Davis of Sports Illustrated discussed the freshman's impact:

The Wildcats hit two more long balls to stretch the lead to 65-59 with less than five minutes remaining, and former Grantland writer Mark Titus put things in perspective for the Tar Heels:

Kansas State took a 67-63 lead into the under-four-minute timeout and drew rave reviews from former Wildcats wide receiver (and current Seattle Seahawk) Tyler Lockett:

"

K-State basketball gone be nice this year! #BeatUNC

— Tyler Lockett (@TDLockett12) November 25, 2015"

The momentum quickly faded, though, as Joel Berry drilled a three, Jackson hit a floater, Meeks scored in transition and Pinson hit a three all within the span of less than two minutes. Just like that, it was 73-68 in favor of North Carolina with just more than a minute left in the game.

Matt Scott of 247Sports commented on the turnaround:

"

Wow - K-STATE fell apart that fast?

— Matt Scott (@KUTheShiver) November 25, 2015"

From there, North Carolina added some free throws to close out the Wildcats in the last minute and escaped with the 80-70 victory.

What's Next?

North Carolina doesn't take the court again until Dec. 1, when it will face Maryland in the highly anticipated showdown in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge.

The game is back in Chapel Hill and will reunite former ACC rivals on the national stage. The Terrapins are No. 2 in the country, but they struggled to put away Georgetown, Rider and Illinois State already this season and will need to play with a greater sense of urgency if they plan on knocking off the Tar Heels at home.

As for Kansas State, it faces a stretch of winnable nonconference games and likely won't be challenged again until a Dec. 12 date with Texas A&M. The Wildcats need to rack up as many victories as they can because a difficult Big 12 slate with Iowa State, Oklahoma and Kansas awaits. 

They missed a golden opportunity to add beef to their early resume Tuesday.

Postgame Reaction

The discussion in the aftermath immediately turned to North Carolina’s strong finish, especially since Kansas State controlled the majority of the game.

Williams reflected on the outcome, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com: “It was a weird game. For about 36 minutes, they totally outplayed us, but we were still there. We were still around.”

Kansas State coach Bruce Weber looked at the finish as an opportunity to move forward, per the Associated Press, via ESPN.com: “The last two, three minutes they turned it up a notch and we got a little hesitant, made a couple mistakes. It's a great learning lesson.”

Jackson led the way in the box score for the Tar Heels, and he commented on the effort, per Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer: “I think that last four minutes was the only time of the game we showed we really wanted it more than them.”

If that’s what North Carolina looks like when it really wants a victory, the rest of the nation is officially on notice come March.