Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. If you'd said on Tuesday afternoon Clemson would shoot 61.3 percent in the second half, you might not have felt very positive about Carolina's chances. But the Tar Heels survived a hot Tiger second half, including eight-of-16 from the three-point line, to take an 87-79 victory. "That's ACC basketball," Roy Williams said simply after the game.

2. The first half saw some of Carolina's best ball movement of the season. The Tar Heels handed out 12 assists on 13 field goals, with several of the passes of the highlight reel variety. As usual, Theo Pinson was the most prolific passer. The streak eventually stretched to 16 assists on the first 17 field goals counting action in the second half.

3. That version of Cameron Johnson was probably the closest to what UNC fans remember from his performance in the Smith Center last year for Pitt. Johnson made six three-pointers on his way to 21 points, and added four rebounds and three assists. Nine of his ten shot attempts were three-pointers on a day when the Tar Heels jacked up 31 three-pointers out of 51 field goal attempts. The guess here is you'd have to go pretty far back in the record book to find a time when a Carolina team took ten more three-point shots than two-point shots in an ACC game that they won by eight points.

4. Tuesday night saw some tweaks in the UNC big man rotation. For the first time this year, Sterling Manley was the first freshman big man off the bench. Manley, who has consistently been productive in limited minutes this year, had a solid first half. But then it was Garrison Brooks who got the start in the second half when Luke Maye began the half on the bench because of his eye injury. Brooks and Manley combined for four rebounds and five points.

5. After getting beaten on the boards in South Bend, Carolina did a better job against Clemson. The Tar Heels had a 29-26 edge on the glass overall, and had a 10-0 advantage in second chance points. Pinson, who had a solid all-around game with 12 points, six assists, three blocks, and 8-8 from the free throw line, also led the team with seven boards.

6. Luke Maye still looked a little hesitant after returning from taking a Kenny Williams elbow in the nose near the end of the first half. But he returned to form just in time to make some key plays that helped seal the victory, including a three-pointer, a huge defensive rebound, a huge pair of free throws on a one-and-one, and what felt like the game-sealing pass when he hit Kenny Williams with a 60-foot strike in the final minute.

7. Brandon Robinson might be this year's winner of the player who sneakily continues to get playing time as the rotation shrinks, and ends up having a solid impact. Robinson only saw three first half minutes, but he swished a couple of three-pointers and had a rebound and an assist in that stretch. Robinson also had a quietly monumental play in the second half, as he kept alive a Johnson miss that turned into a Joel Berry three-pointer when Clemson had closed the deficit to 61-59. The sophomore only played nine minutes, but had six points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal--which means you'll see him again on Saturday against Georgia Tech.

8. It was great to see a well-deserved standing ovation for Woody Durham during the first half. The longtime Voice of the Tar Heels was announced today as the newest inductee into the National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame, and attended the game with his wife Jean.

9. Three other Tar Heels got big ovations, as 2009 national champions Marcus Ginyard (on a quick six-day break from his pro team in Macedonia) and Mike Copeland were sitting behind the Carolina bench. Kenny Smith came in at halftime and got a nice hand in the second half.

Players Mentioned

Garrison Brooks

Cameron Johnson

Sterling Manley

Luke Maye

Theo Pinson

Brandon Robinson

Kenny Williams

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