University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
December 22, 2016 | Men's Basketball
by Adam Lucas
1. Quite a different tempo as compared to what the Tar Heels saw last time out against Kentucky. Northern Iowa, which plays one of the slowest tempos in America according to KenPom, attempted to slow the game to a crawl in the 85-42 UNC win.
2. It wasn't completely successful, however, as Carolina did a terrific job capitalizing on Northern Iowa turnovers. The Panthers committed 10 miscues in the first half, and the Tar Heels turned that into 11 points. For the game, UNI coughed it up 17 times and the Tar Heels turned it into 20 points. Roy Williams used more halfcourt traps in these 40 minutes as he has at any time during the 2016-17 season. It's a Williams staple: home game combined with an opponent committed to a slower tempo means more traps. The 85 points scored by the Tar Heels were the most against Northern Iowa in regulation in three seasons.
3. Nice job by Kennedy Meeks recovering from a frustrating first half to finish with 18 points and eight rebounds. Meeks also helped the Tar Heels to 13 second chance points, holding a 13-2 lead in that category. Williams called the big man "the difference in the game," including crediting the way he denied the ball on defense.
4. That might have been one of Carolina's best passing games of the season. It wasn't a huge collection of spectacular passes, but everything was delivered on time and in the right place. It was a little surprising to look at the stat sheet and see just 20 assists on 34 field goals. It felt more like about 30 assists.
5. For the fourth straight game, foul trouble limited Isaiah Hicks' minutes. Hicks picked up his second foul midway through the first half and sat for the rest of the period, playing just eight minutes in the first half. Hicks was able to avoid multiple whistles in the second half, which put him on the floor for...
6. ...the dunk of the year so far, when he took a pass from Kennedy Meeks on the interior and rammed through a one-handed jam over a helpless defender:
7. Kenny Williams' stat line isn't overwhelming: 1 for 3 from the floor and two rebounds. But he handed out a team-high five assists while not committing a turnover, and although there's no stat for it, it feels like the sophomore gets every possible loose ball.
8. Even when things go well for Seventh Woods he feels a little like a puppy. His dunk on the second to last possession of the game was a nice moment, but if he had it to do over again he probably wouldn't make the final play when he dunked after Northern Iowa had essentially conceded.
9. Carolina committed just five turnovers against a Northern Iowa team that came into the game ranked fifth in the country in defensive turnover percentage.
