Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Kentucky simply played better in virtually every phase of the game. The Wildcats earned their 80-72 win at the United Center.

2. The defeat in Chicago means the Tar Heels finish the marquee portion of the nonconference schedule without a great resume. Yes, Carolina has the win over Gonzaga at home, but the Heels also lost a neutral site game to Texas and were blown out at Michigan. Of course, the league performance will be most influential in determining eventual NCAA Tournament seeding, but the way the schedule set up provided a nice opportunity for Carolina to have a major plus in their column on Selection Sunday. It didn't work out that way.

3. Carolina was outrebounded for the first time this season (the UCLA game was a dead heat), and that was a fairly appropriate description of how the game went. The Tar Heels were beaten on the defensive glass and were nearly doubled up on the offensive backboards. That feels like an accurate way of summing up the effort, as there were multiple occasions when Carolina players simply watched the ball trickle across the court. Then, as if to crystallize the problem, Reid Travis missed the front end of a one-and-one in an eight point game with a minute remaining, and the Tar Heels were glued to the floor as P.J. Washington tipped the ball out to burn more clock for Kentucky.

4. It's not easy to single out the best Tar Heel performers in a game where no one likely felt they played exceptionally well. Cameron Johnson led Carolina in scoring with 17 points, and Luke Maye had 16.

5. Kentucky did as good a job as any team in recent memory has done keeping Carolina off the offensive glass in the first half. The Tar Heels managed just one meager offensive board, a Sterling Manley stick-back, in the first 20 minutes. The Wildcats limited UNC to a tiny offensive rebound percentage of 4.8%; Carolina came into the game averaging 39.8% in that category. The Tar Heels simply weren't very aggressive in the first half; they attempted just two free throws to Kentucky's 12. That wasn't a comment on the officiating, but rather on Carolina's unwillingness to go hard at the rim. For the game, Carolina got just five offensive rebounds and got ten points off those second chances--which shows just how important eliminating those chances was for Kentucky.

6. After playing very well in Carolina's visit to Stanford last year, Reid Travis wasn't a stranger to the Tar Heels, but he was still impressive. The Kentucky big man was limited only by Kentucky's willingness to throw the ball into the paint, and finished with 20 points and six rebounds.

7. Roy Williams wasn't pleased with his team's first practice back after the win over Gonzaga, and there is always a concern in a game like this that college students will be counting the hours until their first trip home in several months. Whatever the reason--whether overly pleased with the win over the Bulldogs, or eager for some of Mama's home cooking, or something else--that was one of the least-focused efforts of the season in the first half.

8. For a window into how poorly Carolina played in the first 19 minutes of the game, Roy Williams burned his rarely used first half timeout with 1:17 remaining after yet another Carolina turnover. That miscue came from Nassir Little, who had a very rough first half, converting a couple dunks but turning the ball over twice and looking generally unprepared for the pace of play and frenetic nature of the game. Carolina trailed 39-29 at the timeout...and then Coby White promptly turned the ball over on a simple inbounds pass immediately following the break.

9. For all the occasionally absurd chatter about Little's playing time, he played 8:39 in the first half despite a rough half--fifth-most on the team, or in other words, starter's minutes. It wasn't a great day overall for the Tar Heel freshmen, as Coby White shot 3-for-10 and was charged with three turnovers (the actual total was higher) and Leaky Black was largely ineffective.

10. Carolina never got the game down to a one-possession situation in the second half, but it really felt like the Tar Heels had some missed opportunities. UNC had the ball down six with 6:30 remaining and turned the ball over; the Tar Heels also had the ball down seven three straight times midway through the half but couldn't score. The Tar Heels also left some points at the free throw line, where they finished a respectable 11-of-16 but had some uncharacteristic misses, such as White missing one of the technical free throws and Kenny Williams missing both attempts in the second half.

11. The Midwest locale provided the chance for a couple Tar Heel alums who don't usually get to see Carolina in person to come out to the United Center. John Henson (now with the Cleveland Cavaliers) was in the seats behind the UNC bench, and Bobby Frasor--a high school coach in the Chicago area--was also on hand.

12. The CBS Sports Classic is an interesting event coming right after the pulsating home matchup with Gonzaga. This event is, and always has been, primarily an NBA-type production played in NBA-type arenas. At one first half juncture, both teams were back on the court while the in-timeout promotion was still going on. That being said, Chicago is a preferable location to some of the other venues that have hosted it. It goes back to Las Vegas next year on Dec. 21.

13. It truly is remarkable how Kentucky fans travel. Carolina has a good fan base in Chicago and had a solid turnout at the United Center. But the Wildcats had a healthy majority of the crowd, and what's truly amazing about the 'Cat fan support is that it rarely appears to be a large population from the game where the city is being played. These were fans who simply love Kentucky basketball and made the trip three days before Christmas.

14. That was the kind of game that makes you appreciate the Smith Center stat crew. At one juncture in the second half, UNC had been charged for three second half turnovers but had clearly committed five. That's not especially comforting when you consider the Tar Heels were officially charged with 17 for the game. The actual total was higher, and Roy Williams' film review will reflect that.

Players Mentioned

Leaky Black

Cameron Johnson

Nassir Little

Sterling Manley

Luke Maye

Coby White

Kenny Williams

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