Seventh Woods made his first career start in place of the injured Coby White.
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
December 5, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the home matchup with UNCW.
By Adam Lucas
1. It wasn't altogether attractive, but it was a win, as Carolina used a better second half to ease past UNC-Wilmington 97-68.
2. Roy Williams kept his team in the locker room almost the full 15-minute halftime and was rewarded with a better second half. Although partially aided by ice-cold Seahawk shooting (including several point-blank misses), Carolina also turned up the defensive intensity to create some of those errant shots.
3. The Tar Heels shared the ball well in the first half, handing out 15 assists on 18 field goals. Kenny Williams had a very nice game distributing the ball, finishing with eight assists, just shy of the career high of nine he set earlier this season.
4. Three first half three-pointers from Cameron Johnson rescued an otherwise sluggish first half. The Tar Heels turned it over nine times in the first 20 minutes, several of the careless and/or wildly errant variety. What made the first half performance more frustrating was that the offense largely created points when they weren't turning it over; the Tar Heels shot 51.4 percent from the field in the first half.
5. Even as we move towards mid-December, there is clearly playing time available in the post for the Tar Heels. Brandon Huffman received some first half minutes on Wednesday and performed fairly well--and also was active defending the screen on the ball, which has been a major problem area for Carolina this season. Sterling Manley then put together a better second half and finished with a game-high ten rebounds and eight points. None of the Tar Heel big men are a finished product yet.
6. With Coby White on the bench nursing an ankle injury, the Tar Heels weren't able to generate the type of tempo the freshman has created on offense. Under the direction of C.B. McGrath, UNCWÂ was committed to getting back on defense, but Carolina still generated just six fast break points in the first 20 minutes before getting six more in the first five minutes of the second half. The Tar Heels finished with 18 points in that category.
7. Carolina did a fairly good job limiting standout Seahawk post man Devontae Cacok. Saddled with two early fouls, Cacok finished just 2-for-10 from the field and--although he is one of the best rebounders in the country--just six boards. The Tar Heels dominated the points in the paint category, 50-16.Â
8. McGrath is still building depth in Wilmington, and it showed. Led by 14 points from Nassir Little, Carolina's reserves outscored UNCW's 40-20. Fellow freshman Leaky Black had some nice moments running the point backing up Woods and finished with three assists against zero turnovers.Â
9. Woods was much better in the second half, as he looked tentative in the first half during his first career start. Almost immediately in the second half, he was more aggressive offensively, and the junior finished with seven points and three assists in 24 minutes.
10. Luke Maye had a very active day, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists...and four fouls. Things looked a little dicey when Maye was saddled with his fourth foul early in the second half with Carolina holding just a nine-point lead. Somewhat surprisingly, after he went to the bench, Carolina added 22 points to the lead over the next eight minutes.
11. As great as it was to see McGrath and Jackie Manuel, you know they were frustrated with the way their team played. The Seahawks put up a very capable fight in the first half but simply couldn't sustain the effort in the final 20 minutes. UNCW is better than they showed on Wednesday night.
12. You can't say K.J. Smith doesn't have a feel for the dramatic. The reserve guard hoisted three three-point attempts, plus a fourth try by Shea Rush, as Carolina tried to break the biscuit mark on the final possession of the game. Each shot was greeted with a cheer of anticipation from the crowd followed by a sigh of disappointment.
13. Although it will be ten days until Carolina plays again, there won't be a ton of time for practice. With exams starting this week, the Tar Heels will mostly have run-and-shoot practices until testing is finished. The next two games--against Gonzaga and Kentucky--will largely determine the prevailing feeling about this year's nonconference efforts.Â
1. It wasn't altogether attractive, but it was a win, as Carolina used a better second half to ease past UNC-Wilmington 97-68.
2. Roy Williams kept his team in the locker room almost the full 15-minute halftime and was rewarded with a better second half. Although partially aided by ice-cold Seahawk shooting (including several point-blank misses), Carolina also turned up the defensive intensity to create some of those errant shots.
3. The Tar Heels shared the ball well in the first half, handing out 15 assists on 18 field goals. Kenny Williams had a very nice game distributing the ball, finishing with eight assists, just shy of the career high of nine he set earlier this season.
4. Three first half three-pointers from Cameron Johnson rescued an otherwise sluggish first half. The Tar Heels turned it over nine times in the first 20 minutes, several of the careless and/or wildly errant variety. What made the first half performance more frustrating was that the offense largely created points when they weren't turning it over; the Tar Heels shot 51.4 percent from the field in the first half.
5. Even as we move towards mid-December, there is clearly playing time available in the post for the Tar Heels. Brandon Huffman received some first half minutes on Wednesday and performed fairly well--and also was active defending the screen on the ball, which has been a major problem area for Carolina this season. Sterling Manley then put together a better second half and finished with a game-high ten rebounds and eight points. None of the Tar Heel big men are a finished product yet.
6. With Coby White on the bench nursing an ankle injury, the Tar Heels weren't able to generate the type of tempo the freshman has created on offense. Under the direction of C.B. McGrath, UNCWÂ was committed to getting back on defense, but Carolina still generated just six fast break points in the first 20 minutes before getting six more in the first five minutes of the second half. The Tar Heels finished with 18 points in that category.
7. Carolina did a fairly good job limiting standout Seahawk post man Devontae Cacok. Saddled with two early fouls, Cacok finished just 2-for-10 from the field and--although he is one of the best rebounders in the country--just six boards. The Tar Heels dominated the points in the paint category, 50-16.Â
8. McGrath is still building depth in Wilmington, and it showed. Led by 14 points from Nassir Little, Carolina's reserves outscored UNCW's 40-20. Fellow freshman Leaky Black had some nice moments running the point backing up Woods and finished with three assists against zero turnovers.Â
9. Woods was much better in the second half, as he looked tentative in the first half during his first career start. Almost immediately in the second half, he was more aggressive offensively, and the junior finished with seven points and three assists in 24 minutes.
10. Luke Maye had a very active day, finishing with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists...and four fouls. Things looked a little dicey when Maye was saddled with his fourth foul early in the second half with Carolina holding just a nine-point lead. Somewhat surprisingly, after he went to the bench, Carolina added 22 points to the lead over the next eight minutes.
11. As great as it was to see McGrath and Jackie Manuel, you know they were frustrated with the way their team played. The Seahawks put up a very capable fight in the first half but simply couldn't sustain the effort in the final 20 minutes. UNCW is better than they showed on Wednesday night.
12. You can't say K.J. Smith doesn't have a feel for the dramatic. The reserve guard hoisted three three-point attempts, plus a fourth try by Shea Rush, as Carolina tried to break the biscuit mark on the final possession of the game. Each shot was greeted with a cheer of anticipation from the crowd followed by a sigh of disappointment.
13. Although it will be ten days until Carolina plays again, there won't be a ton of time for practice. With exams starting this week, the Tar Heels will mostly have run-and-shoot practices until testing is finished. The next two games--against Gonzaga and Kentucky--will largely determine the prevailing feeling about this year's nonconference efforts.Â
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