Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. The Tar Heels weren't as impressive in the second half (Stanford outscored the Heels, 46-38, in the final 20 minutes), but still a quality 90-72 victory over a good Stanford team to improve to 3-0.

2. One game after eclipsing all of last year's points per possession figures in the first half at Elon, the Tar Heels again were very efficient offensively in the first half against Stanford. Carolina scored on 20 of its final 25 possessions of the first half, and it wasn't a case of one player getting extremely hot--it was just good offense. Everything Roy Williams called in the halfcourt worked (the Tar Heels ran a pretty lob to Nassir Little for a dunk, scored off a screen the screener play, and then scored on a favorite set for a Luke Maye three-pointer at the halftime buzzer) and Carolina was also efficient in transition. The Heels shot 60 percent from the field in the first half.

3. You're starting to get little glimpses of what is going to make the freshmen such good players. Coby White didn't shoot great, hitting just 2-for-8 from the field, but his quickness created several easy baskets for his teammates as he handed out four assists. He's one of the rare players fast enough to make up for a mistake immediately. In the second half, he probably shot too quickly on one end and was all the way under the UNC basket. He ran full speed to get back in the play and ended up stealing a Stanford pass at the opposite free throw line when it looked like the Cardinal had an easy fast break.

4. And Leaky Black continued to stuff the stat sheet. Black was an efficient 4-for-4 from the field and had an assist in his 15 minutes of action. How impressive has Black been early? According to Tar Heel Sports Network stat guru Jody Zeugner, when Black posted eight points, six rebounds and five assists at Elon on Friday, no UNC freshman had ever put up those numbers in his first two games.

5. Roy Williams probably isn't going to be happy with the way his team rebounded. On too many occasions, Stanford competed a little harder on the glass than Carolina did, and Jerod Haase's team had the advantage in second chance points, 11-10. Carolina won the overall rebounding battle, 45-35, but had just a 13-11 edge on the offensive glass.

6. It was great to see Kenny Williams get on track offensively. The senior scored his first field goal of the season early in the first half, converting a drive to the basket that stopped an 0-for-10 streak to start the year. Williams also tossed in a three-pointer and played very well on both ends of the court, including contesting a basic inbounds pass at halfcourt at the start of the second half and very nearly stealing it. He finished with 12 points.

7. Cameron Johnson continued his torrid offensive start. Johnson made three of his four three-point attempts and is now 10-for-14 from three in the season's first three games. He also has quietly done a good job on the boards, and after getting seven on Monday night, now has 20 boards in the season's first three games. Of course, something his head coach will probably point out is that zero of those seven rebounds on Monday came on the offensive end.

8. Monday's win continues Carolina's dominance in home openers. The Tar Heels are now 102-7 all-time in home openers, and have won 86 of the last 88. Roy Williams is undefeated in home openers at Carolina.

9. If you have that sneaky feeling that the Tar Heels always play well against Stanford...you're right. Carolina is now 12-0 against the Cardinal. That's the second-most wins without a defeat against any opponent (The most is Carolina's 19-0 mark against the Citadel).

10. Always great to see a collection of UNC alums at the home opener. National champion Nate Britt was among a host of Tar Heels on hand Monday night, as was Antawn Jamison, who sometimes attends in a scouting capacity, but this time was on hand just as a fan (and the parent of a current UNC student).

11. Monday wasn't a night he'll look fondly upon, but it was great to see Jerod Haase. The Stanford head coach was instrumental in helping Roy Williams build his program in Chapel Hill. The Cardinal go home 2-1 and have a big date in the Battle for Atlantis next week.

12. Before you get too frustrated with the early crowd shots: there was an issue at the park and ride lots that kept hundreds of people (at least) away at tip-off. On a rainy night, all the logistics weren't working smoothly, which is unfortunate for the Tar Heel fans who wanted to be inside the building but had a long wait to get there.

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Leaky Black

Cameron Johnson

Nassir Little

Luke Maye

Coby White

Kenny Williams

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