University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
January 15, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from Carolina's home game against Notre Dame.
By Adam Lucas
1. On Saturday, Roy Williams said he thought his team needed to win ugly. On Tuesday, they came pretty close, earning a 75-69 win over Notre Dame.
2. The Tar Heel bench was huge in the victory. The combination of Nassir Little, Brandon Robinson and Seventh Woods made a series of huge plays throughout the game. Without them, we're likely talking about a second straight home loss.
3. It's pretty simple: Notre Dame likes to use the ball screen and shoot three-pointers. That's what they've done ever since Mike Brey arrived there, that's what they've done in every matchup with Carolina, and that's what they did on Tuesday in the first half. After a stern halftime lecture from Roy Williams, the Tar Heels tried to switch the way they were defending it, trying to squeeze. When that didn't work either, they switched back to the original method, and the Irish eventually went cold from the perimeter. Notre Dame made six three pointers in the first half but sank just four in the second half, one of which came late after the game was essentially decided.
4. One of the real pleasant stories of this season so far is the patience and emergence of Brandon Robinson. The junior was a big reason why Carolina was just down three points at halftime, as he swished three three-pointers in eight minutes of first half playing time. Robinson has made at least one three-pointer in four straight games and five of the last six.
5. The Tar Heels began the game with more defensive intensity than they showed at any point in the game against Louisville. Coby White applied ball pressure as soon as the ball crossed midcourt, and the Irish--who probably didn't have "ferocious defenders" on the scouting report for Carolina, were so taken aback that they eventually had to burn their first half timeout just 39 seconds into the half.
6. Sterling Manley's injury has quietly played a role in the past couple games. The Tar Heels could have used him against Louisville's post presence on Saturday, and they again could have used one more big man on Tuesday night.
7. Given the intense spotlight on Nassir Little, he's likely to get a ton of attention for Tuesday's performance. The freshman operated almost exclusively close to the rim, and he had 11 points and six rebounds against Notre Dame. His success prompted Roy Williams to go small for key stretches of the second half, and even with that lineup, Carolina still won the rebounding battle handily, 47-36.
8. Seventh Woods might have had the biggest play of the game. His chase-down block of what looked like a breakout layup with Notre Dame up by one point was a huge momentum swing. Woods then sank a pair of free throws to give Carolina a 51-50 lead.
9. Cameron Johnson didn't have a great scoring night by his standards, as D.J. Harvey did a solid job on him (11 points), but he did a little of everything else. Johnson had seven rebounds and six assists. His fellow seniors also contributed, as Luke Maye had a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds, and Kenny Williams had four rebounds and three assists.
10. Say it quietly so as not to jinx it: Carolina turned the ball over just 11 times, and only twice in the entire second half.
11. And oh by the way, Coby White scored 17 points. White had some huge baskets, and on a day the Tar Heels played small--which means everyone has to rebound--he also had five boards.
1. On Saturday, Roy Williams said he thought his team needed to win ugly. On Tuesday, they came pretty close, earning a 75-69 win over Notre Dame.
2. The Tar Heel bench was huge in the victory. The combination of Nassir Little, Brandon Robinson and Seventh Woods made a series of huge plays throughout the game. Without them, we're likely talking about a second straight home loss.
3. It's pretty simple: Notre Dame likes to use the ball screen and shoot three-pointers. That's what they've done ever since Mike Brey arrived there, that's what they've done in every matchup with Carolina, and that's what they did on Tuesday in the first half. After a stern halftime lecture from Roy Williams, the Tar Heels tried to switch the way they were defending it, trying to squeeze. When that didn't work either, they switched back to the original method, and the Irish eventually went cold from the perimeter. Notre Dame made six three pointers in the first half but sank just four in the second half, one of which came late after the game was essentially decided.
4. One of the real pleasant stories of this season so far is the patience and emergence of Brandon Robinson. The junior was a big reason why Carolina was just down three points at halftime, as he swished three three-pointers in eight minutes of first half playing time. Robinson has made at least one three-pointer in four straight games and five of the last six.
5. The Tar Heels began the game with more defensive intensity than they showed at any point in the game against Louisville. Coby White applied ball pressure as soon as the ball crossed midcourt, and the Irish--who probably didn't have "ferocious defenders" on the scouting report for Carolina, were so taken aback that they eventually had to burn their first half timeout just 39 seconds into the half.
6. Sterling Manley's injury has quietly played a role in the past couple games. The Tar Heels could have used him against Louisville's post presence on Saturday, and they again could have used one more big man on Tuesday night.
7. Given the intense spotlight on Nassir Little, he's likely to get a ton of attention for Tuesday's performance. The freshman operated almost exclusively close to the rim, and he had 11 points and six rebounds against Notre Dame. His success prompted Roy Williams to go small for key stretches of the second half, and even with that lineup, Carolina still won the rebounding battle handily, 47-36.
8. Seventh Woods might have had the biggest play of the game. His chase-down block of what looked like a breakout layup with Notre Dame up by one point was a huge momentum swing. Woods then sank a pair of free throws to give Carolina a 51-50 lead.
9. Cameron Johnson didn't have a great scoring night by his standards, as D.J. Harvey did a solid job on him (11 points), but he did a little of everything else. Johnson had seven rebounds and six assists. His fellow seniors also contributed, as Luke Maye had a double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds, and Kenny Williams had four rebounds and three assists.
10. Say it quietly so as not to jinx it: Carolina turned the ball over just 11 times, and only twice in the entire second half.
11. And oh by the way, Coby White scored 17 points. White had some huge baskets, and on a day the Tar Heels played small--which means everyone has to rebound--he also had five boards.
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