Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. That was not a very well-played basketball game by North Carolina. It was a little bit ugly, a little bit unsettling...but it also didn't count. And that's the ultimate takeaway from the 91-80 exhibition win over Barton. Roy Williams will walk away from that game with plenty to emphasize to his team over the next two weeks before the games start counting on Nov. 10 against Northern Iowa. As Williams said, "The good news is that it was an exhibition game."

2. With all the discussion of Carolina's point guard situation during Joel Berry's absence, seeing the Tar Heels on the court again was a good reminder that it's Theo Pinson who is Carolina's best distributor. The ball just moves better when Pinson is on the court. The senior finished with three assists and zero turnovers in 25 minutes.

3. Watching those first couple minutes was a nice reminder that it is a really, really nice luxury that Joel Berry came back for his senior season.

4. That being said, Berry's absence is opening a window for Jalek Felton. The freshman had a game-high seven assists against just one turnover in 21 minutes. He made just two of his six field goal attempts, but he had a couple of very nice individual moves that didn't lead to baskets. His instinct when things break down is still to revert to one-on-one play, but as he gets more comfortable, he's going to be a very important part of this year's team.

5. As Williams said, "Seventh did not have a good day." The sophomore point guard finished with two assists and one turnover in his 19 minutes, and made two of his six shots. He too often tried to move the ball with the dribble rather than with the pass but that is likely to change as he gets more comfortable with who he's sharing time with on the court.

6. Carolina held a whopping 57-37 advantage on the glass, but they gave up 14 offensive rebounds to Barton and were outscored, 17-16, on second chance points. The game's high rebounder was Luke Maye, who is poised to have a breakout year. Maye does the one thing very well that the Tar Heels desperately need--he hunts rebounds--and for that reason, he's going to be on the floor quite a bit when the games start counting. Maye also made seven of his eight field goals, most of which came very close to the rim.

7. Freshman big man report: all had their moments. Garrison Brooks got the start and looked the most polished, finishing with 13 points and nine rebounds. Brandon Huffman finished with a game-high five blocks and had a thunderous dunk. And Sterling Manley hauled down seven rebounds. Put them together, and they contributed 23 rebounds and 23 points--Williams would be thrilled with that production during the regular season.

8. Without Berry to push the ball, Carolina struggled to push the ball to Williams' liking and take advantage of Barton's 13 turnovers (the fact that they had just 13 turnovers is one of the best indicators of Carolina's lack of defensive intensity). The Tar Heels had just ten points off those miscues, while Barton got 16 points off Carolina's 14 turnovers.

9. Carolina shot just 3-of-15 from the three-point line, including 1-of-6 from Cameron Johnson. The Pitt transfer is a better shooter than that, but UNC is going to need someone other than him to make perimeter shots until Berry returns.

Players Mentioned

Garrison Brooks

Jalek Felton

Brandon Huffman

Cameron Johnson

Sterling Manley

Luke Maye

Theo Pinson

Related Videos