University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
December 7, 2015 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Those first 20 minutes were probably the most complete, best extended period of basketball that Carolina has played this year. The Tar Heels did everything well, from defense (Davidson shot 8-for-34 and just 3-for-16 on three-pointers) to offense (50 percent from the floor) to rebounding (29-15 on the boards, including 8-4 on the offensive glass) to the running game (10-2 in fast break points). The Wildcats are a better team than Carolina made them look like in the first half. That was a deceptively easy 98-65 victory.
2. Davidson helped by missing shots, but the Tar Heel running game was as consistently good as it's been this season, piling up 26 fast break points. All five players on the floor were committed to running after makes and misses. Credit also goes to the UNC big men for cleaning the glass and starting the break with a dominating rebounding performance, including Kennedy Meeks' 10 boards in just 18 minutes. Carolina was a whopping +41 with Meeks on the court.
3. Nice job by mostly Joel Berry, but also a host of Tar Heels on high-scoring Davidson guard Jack Gibbs, who has already posted a 41-point game this year. Gibbs shot 7-for-20 and just 3-for-11 from the three-point line while also committing five turnovers.
4. The rebounding by Meeks was contagious. Joel James had one of his most effective rebounding games as a Carolina player, getting seven rebounds in 12 minutes, including two on the offensive end, one of which led to an old-fashioned three-point play.
5. And all of that hasn't even yet mentioned Nate Britt. The guard was terrific, shooting 6-for-8 from the field and scoring 17 points in only 16 minutes. Britt did not commit a turnover, made all three of his free throws, and took a few possessions on Gibbs.
6. Just a note about a little window into what Theo Pinson brings Carolina. In the first half, he was on the left wing and fired a good pass to Marcus Paige for a solid look at a three-pointer. Paige missed, and as the ball bounced off the far side of the rim, there was Pinson picking off the offensive rebound--on the complete opposite side of the court from where he started. That's what makes Pinson so valuable even if he isn't lighting up the scoring or rebounding column (he finished with six points and two rebounds, but also had four assists and no turnovers).
7. It's hard to discourage flopping in the game of basketball when it's consistently rewarded. Carolina had a legitimate size advantage inside, but the way the Wildcats occasionally reacted (they drew three charges and a loose ball offensive foul on Brice Johnson), the Tar Heels might have been attacking with sledgehammers.
