Flashback Thursday: North Carolina vs. Stanford

On January 18, 2025, the North Carolina Tar Heels fell to the Stanford Cardinals by one point inside the Dean Dome. The mid-range jumper by Jaylen Blakes, a former Duke Blue Devil, gave Stanford the lead and eventual victory, 72-71.

At halftime, UNC was leading 36-35, but Hubert Davis' team was unable to pull away and create any separation on the scoreboard. RJ Davis scored 19 points, grabbed three rebounds, and five assists while shooting 6/15 from the field and 3/7 from the three-point line. Elliot Cadeau had 12 points of his own, six rebounds, and six assists.

The backcourt duo was not enough to stop big man Maxime Raynaud, who scored 25 points and 13 rebounds, along with Blakes, finishing the game with 20 points.

GoHeels' Matt Bowers wrote more in detail about Blakes' shot that lifted the Cardinals over North Carolina:

"Blakes' game-winner was the first time a Carolina opponent has hit a game-winning shot with under five seconds remaining since Matt Coleman III of Texas did it on December 2, 2020.

Stanford, which had lost four of its last six outings entering the day, improved to 12-6, 4-3 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with the win. Carolina saw its four-game winning streak come to an end and fell to 12-7, 5-2."

Coach Davis had some thoughts to share following the conclusion of the game:

""I felt like today wasn't one thing," Tar Heel head coach Hubert Davis said in his postgame press conference. "I felt like there were a number of little details or mistakes that we made throughout the entire game. On both ends of the floor, whether it was execution defensively, out of bounds, underneath, ball screen coverage, closeouts and the take two guys… I just felt like it was a culmination of little things. I always say little things lead to big things happening. I felt that those little things, little mistakes, led to big things happening today, which resulted in a loss."

The Tar Heels shot 27.8% (5/18) from three, in addition to not having an answer to stop Stanford's seven-footer in the post. Its roster did not have the tools necessary to prevent any further damage. Although next season, teams can find UNC having its own seven-foot big man, as Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar is going to be an important factor starting this fall.

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