University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
November 14, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Very impressive performance by Kennedy Meeks in Carolina's 91-67 season-opening win over Temple. Meeks missed some good looks early but never played outside his abilities, and eventually the same shots that rolled off the rim early found the bottom of the basket. Meeks finished with a career-high 25 points, 11 rebounds, and--in a good sign for Roy Williams, who has harped on Meeks becoming more explosive--three blocks.
"They had one true post player playing most of the game," Williams said. "Kennedy was 10-for-13 after the first terrible fadeaway and offensively he was really good."
2. It's going to be interesting to watch the growth of Joel Berry II over this next month. Berry (14 points and six rebounds) is still a pass-first guard and is learning when to be selfish and get his own offense. Early in the game, he passed up a fairly good look at a three-pointer to swing the ball to Theo Pinson, who missed a three. Several possessions later, Berry took and made a similarly contested three-pointer. Especially with Marcus Paige out, Berry has the opportunity to grow into a confident and important scorer.
3. The Tar Heel big men did an excellent job keeping Temple off the offensive glass in the first half. The Owls were credited with just two offensive rebounds in the first half, both when Carolina defenders blocked shots out of bounds. That led to the Tar Heels holding a 10-2 advantage in second chance points in the first half and 20-5 for the game.
But expect Williams to mention Temple's seven offensive boards in the second half, as the Owls started firing more from the perimeter (they took seven three's in the first half and hoisted 16 in the second half), leading to longer rebounds and box-outs that were tougher to hold.
4. In addition to his offensive exploits, Berry also contributed defensively. His two steals off the dribble turned into two Tar Heel fast break opportunities. Both Berry's steals and a handful of Tar Heel blocks were essentially live-ball turnovers that fed the UNC transition offense.
5. Have to think Friday night marked a Tar Heel first, as Roy Williams twice deployed a lineup featuring jerseys zero through four--Nate Britt (0), Theo Pinson (1), Joel Berry (2), Kennedy Meeks (3) and Isaiah Hicks (4).
6. Joel James quietly gave Carolina some solid minutes off the bench, especially in the first half. There simply aren't many teams in America that are going to bring a productive seven-footer off the bench. Especially given the emphasis on decreasing physical play this year, it's reasonable to assume Meeks and Brice Johnson will find themselves in foul trouble at some point this year, and James will get a chance to play an important role.
7. Welcome back, Theo Pinson. The sophomore got his second career start and was all over the court, finishing with seven points, eight rebounds and five assists. In order to be the kind of team Carolina wants to be this year, you need a player like that who is willing to fill the stat sheet while not counting his shots.
8. The incident in the final minute was unfortunate. Johnson has gotten in the habit of hanging on the rim for an extra second after dunks, and it turned into an altercation. It was a disappointing ending for Nate Britt, who had scored a solid 15 points and nailed three three-pointers but was ejected after leaving the bench.
"Nate really gave us a bigger spark than anybody in the game," Williams said.
The biggest down side to the altercation: Williams changed his postgame plan to let the players wear sweats on the trip home. Instead, they'll be in coat and tie on the way back to Chapel Hill.
9. The Naval Academy was a terrific venue for the game. The campus is gorgeous, the downtown Annapolis area is tremendous, and the cozy sold-out environment of Alumni Hall was a good college basketball atmosphere. The Veterans Classic is a well-run event that may not get the same amount of attention as other November college hoops showcases, but it could earn a spot among the bigger names.
Also of note: the halftime performance by the Marine Corps Silent Drill Team. Alumni Hall was completely silent as the two dozen Marines went through their paces.
