University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
February 16, 2017 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Carolina equaled the program's biggest-ever win at PNC Arena/RBC Center/Entertainment and Sports Arena with a 97-73 win over a dispirited NC State club.
2. Kennedy Meeks had perhaps his most diverse offensive performance of the season, scoring over, around and through a variety of Wolfpack defenders on the way to 17 points and eight rebounds.
3. Carolina completely dominated the points in the paint category. The Tar Heels held an enormous 60-22 edge in the lane, as a series of Carolina post players overwhelmed State on the interior.
4. In addition to getting points under the basket, Carolina also controlled the backboards. After a lackluster rebounding effort at Duke, the Tar Heels corralled nearly as many offensive rebounds (18) as State had total boards (25). For the game, the rebounding advantage was 41-25, highlighted by eight from Kennedy Meeks and seven from Luke Maye.
5. Speaking of Maye, he utilized a skill that NC State simply couldn't match: for all of his 23 minutes, he played harder than anyone wearing white. That led to one of Maye's best ACC performances, putting up 13 points—including an eye-opening drive and two-handed slam in the first half.
6. Roy Williams' dominance against NC State is a well-covered story, but it really is pretty incredible. The Tar Heel head coach is now 27-3 in thirty games against the Wolfpack, and 12-2 at PNC Arena. Of those 12 wins, eight are by double digits. Even including the two losses in Raleigh, his average margin of victory at State is 9.8 points.
7. The absence of Kenny Williams means Carolina has had exactly two 40-minute games this season with a complete, healthy roster.
8. Carolina essentially played its second straight game without Isaiah Hicks, who spent the entire evening in foul trouble and saw just seven minutes of action. Hicks picked up his fourth foul two minutes into the second half and never got on the floor again.
9. Encouraging effort from Theo Pinson, who penetrated effectively, shot 6-for-8, scored 12 points and handed out four assists. Roy Williams will likely ask him to rebound more (he had just two), but Pinson is an essential part of taking the Tar Heels from good to great.
