University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
November 19, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Brice Johnson didn't play his very best offensive game in Carolina's 78-58 win over Wofford, shooting 7-for-12 on a variety of putbacks and shots near the rim. But overall, he might have played one of his best games as a Tar Heel, hauling in 14 rebounds, blocking two shots, and picking off a pair of steals. There was a time when the rest of Johnson's game would have disappeared if he wasn't in the flow offensively. On Wednesday, he found a way to contribute until the points came, and he ended the night with a third of Carolina's rebounds.
2. It's clear that Justin Jackson basically understands how he needs to get his offense on track. After the sophomore rushed a first half three-pointer in transition, he came down on the very next possession and drove aggressively to the basket, scoring and drawing a foul. In the second half, he elevated and found Isaiah Hicks under the rim for an easy hoop in what was then a five-point game, challenged a three-pointer on the defensive end, and then scored on a baseline floater. That's a nice snapshot of how Jackson is going to contribute when his outside shot isn't falling, and Carolina needs him to do that more consistently.
3. Those first seven and a half minutes were close to the best offense Carolina can play without Marcus Paige. The Tar Heels put up 20 points in that span, getting baskets from five different players in building a 20-13 lead. Of course, the problem was that Wofford was being nearly as efficient (and the Tar Heels weren't exactly piling up a lot of stops).
4. Joel Berry still gets beaten off the dribble occasionally on dribble penetration, but his quick hands and tenacity have turned into a good defensive weapon. Berry had three steals in the first half alone on Wednesday and now has six for the season.
5. It was nice to see an aggressive, confident Isaiah Hicks take the ball hard to the rim in the first half. The junior dribbled in hard from the wing, went baseline, and used the rim to shield his defender while converting a layup. Hicks has consistently contributed in his reserve minutes this season. He's probably not going to crack the starting lineup this season, but he's an important piece off the bench.
6. Teams are still--yes, still--getting used to the new rules. Wofford coach Mike Young tried to call a live-ball timeout in the second half, which isn't allowed this year. He tried to get one of his players to call the stoppage, but they didn't understand him, rushed a three-pointer, and Carolina continued a game-sealing run.
7. There was a beautiful two minutes of Tar Heel defense late in the second half that essentially broke the Terriers. Look for more on that stretch on GoHeels later tonight. It was a textbook example of suffocating team defense.
8. It was nice to see Marcus Paige out shooting before the game with his right hand wrapped. Although he's not back to playing status just yet (it's one thing to shoot open three-pointers with no one guarding him, and quite another to drive into traffic under the basket and risk getting hacked on the hand), the guard is on track with his recovery.
Love seeing @marcuspaige5 out shooting (with right hand wrapped) in pregame tonight. pic.twitter.com/UenjZwrO00
— Adam Lucas (@jadamlucas) November 18, 2015
