University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions (Final Edition)
January 21, 2016 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Hey, an ACC team that wants to run with the Tar Heels! Wake Forest seemed to be committed to the idea of playing at Carolina's preferred pace, and it resulted in a 46-30 Tar Heel halftime lead. Carolina amassed 17 points off a dozen Wake turnovers in the first half and finished with 21 points on 19 Deac turnovers.
The UNC intensity level waned a little in the final 12 minutes of the game, leading to a 26.5 percent shooting mark in the second half. Roy Williams tried to correct it in a variety of ways--including his first five-for-five substitution of the ACC season. The Tar Heels eventually cruised to an 83-68 win, but they'll need to be much more consistent at Virginia Tech on Sunday night, a team that is playing well and will most likely have a hyper environment at Cassell Coliseum.
2. Really good stretch by Theo Pinson at the end of the first half. Pinson hit a three-pointer--his first since the Clemson game--then followed it with good activity on the offensive glass, got a steal that led to a Luke Maye offensive rebound bucket, and then stoned Cornelius Hudson one-on-one defensively that led to a Deacon offensive foul.
3. One thing you have to love about this team: there hasn't been a whisper from Roy Williams of having to coach effort. In the first half, Nate Britt challenged an inbounds pass and went high to knock the ball free. Then Isaiah Hicks threw himself on the floor near the UNC bench to try and grab it. Wake eventually got the possession, but it was great to see Tar Heels all over the floor chasing what was essentially a meaningless loose ball.
Pinson provided some of that same hustle in the second half, outfighting Doral Moore for a loose ball near the baseline. (Of course, Pinson then proceeded to turn the ball over near midcourt, but finishing that play will come with maturity.)
4. Marcus Paige is very, very close to breaking out. Two of his four misses in the first half--a three-pointer and a floater--were halfway in and then came out. Still, he finished the game 1-for-8, marking the third straight game in which he had just one field goal. Paige was 0-for-5 from the three-point line but did contribute four steals and a couple of assists with no turnovers. The crowd of 19,053 gave a big roar when Paige rolled in a right-handed scoop shot with 5:30 remaining for his first and only field goal.
5. Maye just continues to get offensive rebounds. Per Tar Heel Sports Network stat maven Jody Zeugner, Maye has the highest offensive rebound per minute ratio of any Tar Heel since minutes began being tracked around a dozen years ago. Maye grabbed three more offensive boards in just seven minutes of first half action.
6. There have been several iterations of the pregame introduction video this season. Tonight's was just the right mixture of history and the current team, and was the best so far this year.
7. Maybe the most remarkable thing about that Brice Johnson performance was that it wasn't all that remarkable. Johnson had 27 points and 11 rebounds, but didn't really do anything that far out of the ordinary--for him. That's the mark of a player having a terrific season. Johnson didn't just make the big scoring plays, he also played a smart, complete 24 minutes (he scored 27 points in 24 minutes!).
