CHARLOTTE — Jae’Lyn Withers made more 3-pointers in UNC basketball’s ACC Tournament opener Wednesday than seven of the eight teams that played before the Tar Heels in Charlotte.

Back in his hometown, Withers’ sizzling shooting from beyond the arc set the stage in a 76-56 win against Notre Dame at Spectrum Center. With seven 3-pointers, Withers set a UNC record for the most treys in an ACC Tournament game by a Tar Heel.

Withers scored 15 of his 21 points in the first 13-plus minutes, draining five 3-pointers in that stretch to give the fifth-seeded Tar Heels (21-12) a commanding lead against the 12th-seeded Fighting Irish (15-18). He also had nine rebounds.

It isn’t a win that will help the Tar Heels’ NCAA Tournament resume, but it would’ve been a loss that took them out of the March Madness conversation. UNC plays No. 4 Wake Forest (21-10), another ACC team on the bubble, on Thursday (2:30 p.m., ESPN/2) in the quarterfinals. The Tar Heels lost 67-66 against the Demon Deacons in the regular season.

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Here are other observations from UNC’s win against Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament opener.

UNC basketball’s 3-point shooting tops ACC Tournament teams

In the first four games of the ACC Tournament, teams combined to make 31 of 151 shots (20.5%) from 3-point range. Led by Withers, the Tar Heels broke the ice by making 13 of 28 three-pointers (48%). UNC has made double-digit treys in four of the last five games. It’s something that will need to continue if the Heels want to stick around for a deep postseason run in Charlotte.

Elliot Cadeau, RJ Davis dishing out assists, limiting turnovers

UNC guards Elliot Cadeau and RJ Davis combined for 16 assists and three turnovers as the Tar Heels’ top distributors against the Fighting Irish. Overall, UNC had 19 assists on 28 buckets, assisting on 67.8% of its makes. Cadeau had a team-high 10 assists with just two turnovers. If UNC’s point guard takes care of the ball like he did Wednesday, the Tar Heels have a shot to string together wins at Spectrum Center.

Ven-Allen Lubin offensive rebounding, post scoring for Tar Heels

Ven-Allen Lubin has become UNC’s most consistent post option since mid-February. Lubin had 17 points and 10 rebounds – including five offensive boards – against Notre Dame for his second double-double as a Tar Heel. The 6-foot-8 junior, who started his career at Notre Dame, has reached double-digit points and pulled down multiple offensive rebounds in seven straight games.

Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to [email protected].

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Jae’Lyn Withers sets UNC basketball record in ACC Tournament win