Lucas: Watch And Learn

By Adam Lucas

PORTLAND—Brandon Robinson didn't think. Not until the 265-pound Trey Thompson was draped over him on the floor.

That's when the Tar Heel sophomore, currently listed at 170 pounds, paused for just a second. "Whooooooaaaaaaaa," Robinson thought to himself on the floor of Veterans Memorial Coliseum. "That man is big."

The fact that Robinson didn't ponder the nearly 100-pound weight difference until after he'd thrown his body in front of Thompson tells you everything you need to know so far about the 2017-18 Tar Heels. On this particular occasion, Robinson didn't get the call, as he was whistled for a blocking foul. But in what was then a four-point game, he refused to give up an easy basket, absorbed the contact, and sent Thompson to the line, where he missed both his free throws. Instead of giving up two easy points, the Tar Heels proceeded to score seven unanswered.

This was supposed to be a game when Arkansas had more to play for than Carolina, the Hogs having talked most of the summer about the "unfinished business" they felt they had left in Greenville after blowing a late lead to the Tar Heels in the NCAA Tournament. This was a game they had pointed towards ever since the PK80 field was announced.

This was also a game they lost by 19 points.

Carolina's defense was stifling, limiting the Razorbacks to 37.5 percent from the field. The opponent's two stars, Jaylen Barford and Daryl Macon, needed 28 shots to score 28 points (Luke Maye scored 28 on 16).

The Tar Heels did it defensively all the way from the perimeter to the paint. They kept Arkansas off the free throw line, where they had thrived during their undefeated start, limiting them to just eight free throw attempts. The Hogs had dominated the paint in their first four games; they were outscored 38-28 in that category against Carolina. Arkansas had slammed through 25 dunks in the team's first four games; the Tar Heels allowed them zero.

It was almost enough to make you a little giddy when you think forward to how good this team could be if they defend like that all the time. November is usually a time for Roy Williams to experiment with his rotations, to try and identify the players willing to compete at the level he demands. So far, the answer is simple: all of them.

Not long after Robinson tried to stop a dump truck with his bare hands, Seventh Woods forced a loose ball and then threw himself into the courtside seats near midcourt trying to save it. Kenny Williams (of course) drew a charge on Barford that was the high-scoring guard's second foul and forced him out of the lineup for the rest of the half, during which time Carolina outscored the Hogs by nine.

Much earlier than usual during the course of the season, Roy Williams is already in sync with his team. He intended to sub five-for-five early in the first half, displeased with his team's effort and sending five subs to the scorer's table, but then watched the UNC veterans self-correct before the next stoppage of play, scoring five quick points and negating the need for the substitution.

Coming out of a timeout late in the first half, Williams called for a trap. The Tar Heels pinned Arkansas near midcourt, communicating and rotating perfectly, leading to a Razorback timeout and eventually to a shot clock violation.

"With Kenny and I on the wing and Joel's pressure on the ball, when we're locked in and not letting them catch it easily, it's tough for them," said Theo Pinson. "When you've got guys like Joel Berry II diving on the floor at Stanford and Kenny Williams always taking charges, those are guys who are starters. It pushes you to want to do better. Guys see that and understand that's how you get on the court."

It used to be that Luke Maye was part of the group watching and learning from the bench. Now, he's out there scoring 28 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, hitting from all over the court and getting nearly three times more rebounds than anyone on Arkansas' team.

You have to look into another category, though, to really see how well Maye and these Tar Heels fit together. The junior also had five assists. With Carolina up by 11 early in the second half, Maye had the ball on the break. At that point, he had 19 points and 10 rebounds and had made seven of his last eight shots. Of course he would shoot here, right? Of course. He had to.

He didn't. He dropped a nice little pass to freshman Garrison Brooks, who scored to make it a 13-point game. On the next possession, Maye made a turnaround over two defenders. Two possessions later, he recorded another assist, passing up an open jumper to feed Williams for a three-pointer.

It was very reminiscent of a play just nine months ago, when Justin Jackson was blistering Pittsburgh. That day, the junior was on his way to 23 points in an ACC Player of the Year season, but still found time to feed Maye for an easy basket. One national championship, a first round NBA draft pick and nine months later, now it's Maye putting up the huge numbers while playing within the framework of the team.

Yesterday, an NBA draft "expert" tweeted that this was the "least talented UNC roster in quite some time." On Friday, those same Tar Heels dismantled a team Arkansas coach Mike Anderson has called "maybe the most athletic I've ever coached," forcing them into a zone after the Hogs were unable to defend Carolina man-to-man.

Maybe they don't have the right number of stars or mock draft rankings. But your team's leaders dictate the way the rest of the squad plays. You've got Berry defending. Williams drawing charges. Maye, in the middle of a career day, finding open teammates.

It's glorious to watch—and remember, Cameron Johnson hasn't played in a game yet. The Tar Heels are 5-0 and haven't played a game with a healthy roster yet.

"We can get a lot better," Kenny Williams said. "We still have guys learning and getting adjusted. Once that happens, there's no telling how good we can be."

Players Mentioned

Joel Berry II

Garrison Brooks

Cameron Johnson

Luke Maye

Theo Pinson

Brandon Robinson

Kenny Williams

Seventh Woods

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