University of North Carolina Athletics
North Carolina
Penn St (Preseason NIT)
Tar Heels Pound Penn State, 85-55
November 18, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Nov 18, 2002
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By DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Matt Doherty had reason to be nervous after an 8-20 season. North Carolina's freshmen weren't the least bit jittery Monday night.
Rashad McCants scored 28 points to set the freshman scoring mark for an opening game as the Tar Heels rolled over Penn State 85-55 in the first round of the Preseason NIT.
"It's been a long offseason and my insides were bursting," Doherty said. "I had no idea how we would do. I had no idea how Penn State would do. I probably need to go run a marathon before games so I can calm down a little bit."
It didn't take North Carolina long to win over its fans after the school's first 20-loss season, going on a 20-6 run to open the game against a Penn State team that was overmatched in the quickness department.
The game was a far cry from last year's opener in the Smith Center when North Carolina lost 77-69 to Hampton, beginning a frustrating year that would be the worst in school history.
"It's been a long time since our fans have been on their feet consistently like that," senior Will Johnson said. "I was happy for our fans that we could go out there and give them something to cheer about because they stuck with us last year when we didn't give them anything to cheer about."
North Carolina advanced to the second round and will play host to Rutgers, which beat Columbia 60-36, on Wednesday night.
The Tar Heels, with just two seniors and no juniors on their roster, made 10 of their first 12 shots and scored on 12 of their first 15 possessions to go up by 20 points eight minutes in.
The Tar Heels started three freshmen - McCants, Sean May and Raymond Felton - for the first time in school history. The three former prep stars didn't disappoint Doherty.
They all laughed when told that Doherty was more nervous than them.
 North Carolina's Rashad McCants (32) drives to the basket past Penn State's Jan Jagla (22).  |
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"We had nothing to be nervous about," May said. "It's a basketball game. We went out there and played hard. There were no jitters for us."
The 6-foot-4 McCants was 11-of-14 from the field to best Joseph Forte's freshman record of 24 points to open the 1999-2000 season against Southern California. May added 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Felton had nine points and 10 assists.
McCants had a perfect first half, making all seven of his shots for 20 points. May and Felton also were factors as the three first-year players combined for 40 of North Carolina's points in taking a 54-29 halftime lead.
"The wound kept getting bigger and bigger," Penn State's Brandon Watkins said. "We didn't have a Band-Aid big enough to cover it."
McCants, who sat out last week's exhibition game with a sore shoulder, was hot from the start, getting two slams and consecutive 3-pointers 29 seconds apart in the first 3:06 that helped bury a Penn State team that was 7-21 a season ago.
"It's beyond my wildest dreams just to play in this uniform," McCants said when asked about starring in his first game. "Just to be out there and hear the crowd was great."
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It's beyond my wildest dreams just to play in this uniform.
Freshman Rashad McCants
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At one point in the first half McCants had 17 points - so did Penn State, which missed 25 of its first 33 attempts and finished shooting 30 percent.
Penn State was just 3-for-23 from the 3-point line.
"We did a good job of shutting out some passes and keeping them from running their offense and they had to go one-on-one," Doherty said. "I was real proud of our defensive energy."
Watkins led the Nittany Lions with a career-high 24 points. His previous best was 21 last season against Purdue.
The Tar Heels went up by 31 less than three minutes into the second half to improve to 11-2 all-time in the Preseason NIT.
Penn State closed to 71-53 with an 18-3 run with 6:47 left, but McCants scored on his own missed shot, Jackie Manuel added a driving layup and May dunked to force a timeout by Nittany Lions coach Jerry Dunn.
