Notre Dame vs. UNC: Score and Reaction from 2017 Regular Season

No. 12 North Carolina (21-4, 9-2) remained atop the ACC standings with a hard-fought 83-76 victory over No. 20 Notre Dame (17-7, 6-5) on Sunday at the Greensboro Coliseum in North Carolina.

The Tar Heels put together a well-balanced attack, with six players scoring in double digits, including all of the team's starters. Justin Jackson led the way with 16 points, four rebounds and three assists. Isaiah Hicks added 14 points and seven boards, while Joel Berry II had 12 points and seven dimes.

V.J. Beachem led the way for the Fighting Irish with a game-high 20 points. Matt Farrell (18 points) and Bonzie Colson (17 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks) also shined in the losing effort, but the rest of the team combined for just 21 points.

Here's a look at the scoring recap from the Super Bowl Sunday clash:

Team	1st Half	2nd Half	Total
(20) Fighting Irish	34	42	76
(12) Tar Heels	42	41	83

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday evening at the Dean Smith Center, North Carolina's home court. The school announced an emergency water crisis in the area was impacting the campus, however, which caused the date and location change.

Notre Dame was forced to wait an additional day for a chance to break its recent skid as a result. The Irish entered the contest losers of their last three and four of their last five. While three of the defeats came against ranked foes, the struggles raised concerns after a 16-2 start.

Alex Carson of The Observer passed along comments from head coach Mike Brey, who wondered whether their effective small-ball lineup could find success against bigger squads like UNC.

"I think for us, that's a tricky one, because we do want to play small sometimes and downshift," Brey said. "It's a group responsibility and can we ride our small group—are we scoring enough to absorb a couple putbacks?—is kind of how I always look at it when we're downshifted."

The outlook looked promising for the Irish throughout much of a nip-and-tuck first half. They were able to work the ball around the perimeter to create pretty consistent open looks, both from beyond the arc and when attacking the rim.

Andrew Carter of the Charlotte Observer pointed out the crowd was very much involved from the outset despite the late change in venue:

North Carolina's frontcourt started to wear down the Irish late in the opening 20 minutes and started dominating the boards. By holding the visitors to one shot and creating some second-chance opportunities, UNC finished the half on a 13-6 run over the final six minutes.

The Tar Heels held a massive 24-12 rebounding advantage at the break, including eight offensive boards. The only reason the lead wasn't double digits was because they converted just five of the 11 free-throw attempts.

Shawn Krest of the ACC Sports Journal further highlighted UNC's dominance in the paint:

Notre Dame opened the second half in a zone defense, but the plan failed to slow down the North Carolina attack. In fact, it allowed the Tar Heels to find a rhythm from the field as they stretched their lead out to 15 with just over 12 minutes left.

The UNC defense couldn't come up with the necessary stops to completely pull away, though. The Irish slowly kept chipping away throughout the second half, cutting the edge to as little as two.

Notre Dame got several looks down the stretch to complete the comeback effort, especially after North Carolina star Kennedy Meeks fouled out with 5:14 left. But the Tar Heels came with some timely stops and never relinquished the lead.

Tar Heel Nation wrapped up the entertaining contest:

Looking ahead, North Carolina will be forced to run the gauntlet during the stretch run of the regular season. Five of its remaining seven games are against ranked opponents, starting with the first of two battles against longtime rival Duke on Thursday night.

How the Tar Heels perform over the next month will go a long way in determining where they are seeded in the NCAA tournament. A strong finish, including at least three wins in those ranked matchups, could be enough to earn them a No. 1 seed.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame faces a much easier journey to the finish line, with just two games against opponents that are currently ranked. It means the Fighting Irish should avoid falling into the bubble conversation barring a monumental collapse the rest of the way.

So the final month of the regular season will be used to find their identity. It will be tough to make a serious run in the Big Dance when trying to juggle different lineup styles and defensive schemes, as was the case throughout Sunday's loss to UNC.

Postgame Reaction

ESPN relayed comments from North Carolina head coach Roy Williams about the win:

Brant Wilkerson-New of the Greensboro News & Record noted Brey isn't pleased with his team's quick turnaround due to the delayed game:

Beyond that, the Notre Dame head coach simply gave credit to the Tar Heels for taking advantage of their clear edge down low, per Ross Martin of 247Sports.

"They are really good," Brey said. "We knew we were going to have to absorb a pounding in the paint."