University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
December 17, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Brice Johnson didn't wait long to show who would pick up some of the offensive slack from the absence of Kennedy Meeks. He scored 17 points in the first half alone, getting his season scoring high in just 15 minutes of playing time. That was on the way to a career-high 25 points in 25 minutes to go with ten rebounds.
2. Joel James got the start in Meeks' absence but actually played six first-half minutes as opposed to 11 for Isaiah Hicks.
James got more time in the second half and played a solid game. James simply isn't going to be a huge offensive threat, but he rebounded well (finishing with seven) and with Meeks out, is probably Carolina's best post defender. He rarely leaves his feet and is close to immovable in the paint.
3. Hicks continues to show impressive improvement and aggressiveness offensively. His natural instinct has changed from being tentative to being aggressive and going towards the rim. His rebounding and defense are still works in progress, but he is a huge asset off the bench offensively. The junior finished with 11 points and one rebound.
4. Roy Williams used a couple different traps at a couple different moments in the first half, and it essentially put away Tulane. The Green Wave, which has been turnover-prone all season, committed eight first-half turnovers, and the Tar Heels turned those miscues into 11 points.
Without Meeks, as Williams shuffles through some different lineup combinations, it will be interesting to see how much he wants to trap. Carolina probably trapped on as many possessions Wednesday night as they have all year.
5. The Tar Heels quietly continue to be very efficient offensively. Their 48.6 percent shooting in the second half broke a streak of eight straight halves hitting at least 50 percent from the floor. That's partially because this group has proven to be very unselfish--the Tar Heels handed out a whopping 30 assists on 36 field goals.
6. The quiet standout of the game might have been Luke Maye. The freshman didn't make a shot, hit just one of four free throws, but still had the Smith Center crowd of 16,199 chanting "Luuuuuuke" late in the game with his hustle plays. Maye collected five rebounds (three offensive) in just 13 minutes and had a nice assist to Justin Jackson for an easy basket. By the time Maye blocked Jernard Jarreau's shot with five minutes left, the crowd was chanting his name.
7. There will be more on GoHeels on this later, but it was nice to have Shammond Williams back in Chapel Hill, especially coming right on the heels of Marcus Paige breaking Williams' career three-point mark on Saturday in Austin. Williams is a Tulane assistant. Paige, by the way, felt like he had a quiet game, but he sneakily had 16 points, seven assists, two steals and zero turnovers. That's a pretty good "quiet" game.
