Irish Upset Top-Rated Tar Heels

Point guard David Rivers, who ignited unranked Notre Dame’s upset of No. 1 North Carolina Sunday, said he and his teammates had faith in their ability to beat the best.

“We never lost confidence. The intensity was there and no one let up,” Rivers said after the 60-58 victory over North Carolina that snapped the Tar Heels’ 16-game winning streak.

Notre Dame Coach Digger Phelps, who registered his fifth upset of a No. 1 team in 13 years, said the Irish (12-5) controlled the Tar Heels’ trap and penetrated well.

“We didn’t crack, and that’s a sign of maturity,” Phelps said of his team that overcame a 16-point first-half deficit. “We have lost a lot of games in the last few minutes, so now I know we can play against anybody.”

Tar Heels Coach Dean Smith said North Carolina (18-2), which played without its leading scorer, Kenny Smith, played well until the final minute.

“I think we’ve been a tough road team, and nothing I saw today told me otherwise,” Dean Smith said. “Amazingly, I thought we were the underdog, and Notre Dame thought they were.”

Kenny Smith underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Saturday and is expected to miss two weeks.

Rivers was held scoreless in the first half, but he scored 14 points in the final 20 minutes, including a field goal with 1:06 to play that gave the Irish the lead for the first time since early in the game. He added two free throws with 16 seconds left.

“In the first half, I didn’t have any opportunities to take my shot, and I wasn’t going to force it because that would benefit North Carolina,” Rivers said. “I was patient and waited until my shots came.”

Notre Dame sealed the victory with two free throws with five seconds left by Gary Voce, who led the Irish with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Rivers played in foul trouble over the last 9:20, scoring eight of his points after picking up his fourth foul.

Notre Dame used some sharp free-throw shooting in the closing minutes.

Voce made two foul shots with 2:49 to play, followed by two more from Donald Royal 30 seconds later to make the score, 53-52.

North Carolina’s Joe Wolf, who scored 14 points, answered with a field goal at 1:54, then fouled Voce as he scored again 18 seconds later. Voce missed the free throw for the three-point play, but a North Carolina player tipped the ball out of bounds and Rivers followed with his jumper with 1:06 to go, giving the Irish the lead.

North Carolina’s J.R. Reid, who finished with 12 points, drove under the basket and missed with 20 seconds left, and Rivers made two free throws four seconds later for a 58-55 lead.

Thirteen seconds later, North Carolina’s Jeff Lebo, who scored 11 points, missed a three-point shot.

Reid fouled Voce on a rebound in the Irish’s next possession, and the Notre Dame crowd exploded, tossing scores of placards on the floor as Notre Dame was assessed a technical foul.

Voce made both free throws and Lebo made the technical. North Carolina had possession of the ball, but Wolf missed a three-point shot in the closing seconds and Lebo followed with the rebound for the final margin.

Ranzino Smith scored eight points in his starting role in place of Kenny Smith, who was released from the North Carolina infirmary Sunday.

Notre Dame fought back to within 37-35 in the second half, after rallying from a 16-point deficit with a 19-4 streak.

Notre Dame fell behind early in the first half, plagued by a series of costly turnovers that began when Reid picked off a Rivers’ pass and scored.

The Irish briefly took a 4-2 lead, but North Carolina outscored Notre Dame 15-3 in a five-minute stretch with Wolf scoring six points.

The Irish struggled to slow the tempo, often working the 45-second shot clock down to a few seconds. But North Carolina’s 6-foot-10 Dave Popson and substitute Curtis Hunter, 6-foot-5, often doubled-teamed the 6-foot Rivers, holding him scoreless in the half on three field-goal attempts.

The Tar Heels built a 32-16 lead, with two three-point field goals by Lebo powering a streak where North Carolina outscored the Irish, 15-4. The Irish came back with seven consecutive points, including a three-point goal by Sean Connor, narrowing North Carolina’s lead to 32-23 at halftime.