University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
December 17, 2014 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. No one is calling Joel James "Kareem" just yet, but he's demonstrated a reliable lefty skyhook over the last couple of weeks. He nearly made one at Kentucky on Saturday, and did drain one on Tuesday night. With James' bulk, the shot is nearly unblockable when he motors across the lane, and it's a shot you just don't see very much anymore in college basketball.
James finished with a career-high tying 11 points. But in addition to putting the ball in the basket, he also looked much more comfortable catching the ball in traffic, and did not commit a turnover.
2. Speaking of players making strides, Joel Berry II is quietly turning into a contributor. Berry was aggressive at Kentucky and again looked more comfortable against UNCG. The freshman finished with eight points and did not commit a turnover in 16 minutes.
3. In fact, the entire freshman class made subtle contributions to the win. Theo Pinson was extremely active in the opening minutes and finished with a team-high four assists to go with two steals, in addition to knocking in a three-pointer.
Justin Jackson, meanwhile, shot just 2-for-8, but went strong to the rim on multiple occasions, and also passed the ball very capably, finishing with three assists.
4. Turnover problems continue to be an issue. The Tar Heels committed 17 as a team against just token Spartan pressure. More concerning might be the source of many of those turnovers--J.P. Tokoto had six for the second straight game, while Brice Johnson had four.
5. Funny scene in the Tar Heel locker room after the game, as Brice Johnson was incredulous that Marcus Paige had been credited with more rebounds than the big man (Paige had a team-high seven, while Johnson had five).
Paige was just happy that the official scorer seemed to be friendly, as Paige believed his 1-for-6 mark from the three-point line perhaps should have been worse.
6. The most important four days of the season are on the horizon. Because of exams and travel, Carolina hasn't had much uninterrupted practice time lately. They'll get that over the next couple of days, as exams are over. Carolina will travel to Chicago on Thursday night and will work out at the United Center on Friday in advance of Saturday's key nonconference tilt against No. 12 Ohio State, a game that will very much determine the feeling coming out of the non-ACC portion of the schedule.
