Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. There's almost no way to describe the emotions of the evening after Carolina hung on for a 70-67 win over Yale. Already emotional about tying Dean Smith with 879 wins, Roy Williams and the Tar Heels also had to deal with an injury to locker room favorite Anthony Harris, who has worked endlessly to come back from a torn ACL during his senior season of high school.

2. The win marked the 879th of Roy Williams' career, which of course ties him with the number of career wins recorded by Dean Smith. It's almost impossible to put the achievements of either of those individuals into context. The Tar Heel head coach's mark--he is now tied for fourth all-time in college basketball--was celebrated on the court after the game.

3. Roy Williams made a change in the starting lineup, moving Jeremiah Francis into the starting point guard position. Francis has done a solid job since his return from injury and has earned that starting spot. KJ Smith moved into a backup role. Francis finished with 10 points, five assists, and just two turnovers. His penetration makes Carolina a better offensive team, and his clutch and-one basket with 19 seconds left was huge.

4. The chemistry between Francis and fellow freshman Harris is still developing, as both guards are still learning the best way to play off each other. Great example late in the first half, as on one possession Francis penetrated and kicked it to Harris, who promptly airballed a three-pointer. On the very next possession, Francis penetrated, found Harris on the other side of the court, and Harris took it strong to the basket for two points. Harris' ferocity on the court is something Carolina missed in his absence, as when he grabbed an offensive rebound in the second half, then harassed Yale into a turnover.

5. But now the big concern becomes the health of Harris, who went down with 3:05 remaining in the game and did not return. The severity of the injury is uncertain at the moment. The Carolina locker room was emotional about the health status of their teammate.

6. With 18 straight ACC games on the horizon, it's safe to say this is not one of Carolina's better three-point shooting teams. Brandon Robinson bailed out the Tar Heels by sinking five three-pointers on Monday, but the rest of his teammates were just 1-for-7 from the arc. Robinson made multiple huge three-pointers in the second half, including what looked like a backbreaker with 2:05 remaining to put Carolina up eight. Along with Garrison Brooks' 11 points and 11 rebounds, the Tar Heel upperclassmen were a key part of the win.

7. But it wasn't quite the backbreaker, because the Tar Heels muddled through the final minute. Part of that can be attributed to losing some focus after Harris' injury. But part of it was poor decision-making, including Francis fouling a three-point shooter and then Yale's Eric Monroe creatively drawing Robinson's fifth foul on a drive to the basket and hoop. Credit to Francis for stepping up and making both ends of a one-and-one with 14.7 seconds left in a four-point game; he then missed the front end with 7.2 seconds left, but Yale's last gasp was errant.

8. Williams actually appeared to be trying to get a timeout before Francis took that last free throw, but it wasn't recognized in time. That left the Tar Heels not quite certain whether they should foul with a three-point lead or play it out. Luckily, it ended with a win.

9. Yale doesn't have the defensive reputation of Virginia or Ohio State, but statistically they've been close to the defensive quality of those two teams. They made it very difficult for the Carolina offense both inside the three-point line and outside the three-point line. The Bulldogs were also committed to stopping the UNC transition game, as Carolina mustered just four fast break points in the first half.

10. Armando Bacot was limited by foul trouble in the first half and played just ten minutes in the first half. He again quickly accumulated foul trouble in the second half and finished 0-for-5 from the field, adding six rebounds in his 16:45 of playing time. Bacot's struggles opened the door for Justin Pierce, who played very well with 14 points, seven rebounds and zero turnovers. Pierce looked more decisive than he's been in recent games.

11. Yale blocked seven Carolina shots in the first half, a staggering number for an Ivy League team against an ACC team. The Tar Heels were too soft around the rim on a couple of occasions, but Yale's Jordan Bruner is also a good player and collected four of those blocks. Carolina was more aggressive in the second half and did not have a shot blocked.

12. Rebounding provided the difference the Tar Heels needed. Carolina crushed Yale on the offensive glass, 15-1. That led to the Tar Heels taking 71 shots to Yale's 54, and when you're not a particularly great shooting team (UNC hit 36.6 percent from the field), you need a bigger shot volume in order to capitalize.

13. Carolina now sits 8-5 (and 1-1 in the ACC) going into 2020. That might not be exactly where you wanted the Tar Heels to be, but keep in mind there are three home ACC games on the near horizon. That stretch against Georgia Tech, Pitt and Clemson is important to determining the early tenor of the ACC slate.

14. Reminder for all Tar Heel basketball fans with kids that tomorrow (Tuesday) is the annual holiday kids clinic, which is a great way for your children to get on the Smith Center court with this year's team. More details on the event, which is for first through sixth graders, can be found here.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Garrison Brooks

Jeremiah Francis

Anthony Harris

Justin Pierce

Brandon Robinson

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