Photo by: J.D. Lyon Jr.
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
March 24, 2019 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from Carolina's second round matchup with Washington.
By Adam Lucas
1. Carolina advances to the Sweet 16 for the tenth time in the Roy Williams era with an impressive win over Washington. The program has made an incredible 28 Sweet 16 trips in 50 NCAA Tournament appearances.
2. If Syracuse and Washington are the two best zone defense teams in the country, then Carolina has to be pretty close to the best zone offense team in the country. The Tar Heels dissected Mike Hopkins' 2-3 zone throughout the afternoon, consistently finding a player in the middle to either score or find a teammate for a better shot.Â
3. An electric five minutes from Nassir Little put the game out of reach. The freshman scored 11 straight points for the Tar Heels in stretching the advantage to 67-49 with 7:28 left, including one sequence when Little swatted a Huskies shot off the backboard, then dunked it on the other end. Even Little's miss during the series--when he was having a big impact offensively finding the soft middle of the UW zone--was exciting, as he nearly threw down a two-handed poster dunk before drawing a foul. Little finished with 20 points, his third 20-point game of his freshman season. He had 19 and 20 in the two games in Columbus, providing an added dimension off the bench that most opponents simply can't match.
4. The loss of Garrison Brooks to a tooth and lip injury that was not ruled a flagrant foul hampered Carolina's team defense after Brooks departed. The sophomore big man had been assigned to guard Noah Dickerson. Dickerson had two points--which came on the play that ended with Brooks bleeding--before Brooks left, and scored six over the remainder of the first half.Â
5. That play was so noteworthy that before the game ended, the NCAA had already issued a "pool reporter statement" saying that officials ruled Dickerson made a "normal basketball play" and Brooks was "inside the vertical cylinder of the offensive player." Hopefully Brooks can take that statement with him to the dentist.
6. Carolina generated most of Washington's offense for the Huskies in the first half. The Tar Heels committed ten turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Washington shot 6-for-7 off those miscues, but made just eight of 22 field goals otherwise. Sixteen of Washington's 33 first half points came off turnovers. Carolina committed just five turnovers in the second half.Â
7. Luke Maye had another big NCAA Tournament performance for the Tar Heels, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Maye's performance on the glass moves him into 11th on UNC's all-time rebounding list, passing Rusty Clark. Eric Montross is the next player in Maye's sites.
8. Coby White's points were impressive, but television may not provide a full picture of the energy and effort he provides. Twice in the first half--once on a rebound, once pouncing on a loose ball at midcourt--White took what was basically a 60-40 ball in favor of Washington and took control of it. There were also at least two instances when the freshman rocketed down the court after a Washington made basket and immediately created points for the Tar Heels. White finished with 17.
9. Kenny Williams will be happy to leave Columbus. The Carolina senior was banged around in the opener on Friday night, and then left for a few scary minutes with a left hamstring injury in the second half Sunday. Williams did eventually return but moved a little gingerly.
10. The NCAA rule that limits teams to 15 players dressing for an NCAA Tournament game is unfortunate. Shea Rush and Caleb Ellis are rotating that spot in the postseason, which meant that on Sunday afternoon Rush--despite being a full member of the team for the entire year--had to sit in the stands instead of with his teammates. Certainly there have to be limits to how many players are on the bench, but that doesn't feel like an appropriate way to treat a student-athlete.
11. Carolina dominated the glass against a Washington team that has struggled all year on the boards. UNC won the rebounding battle, 46-23, had a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass, and had a big 17-4 edge in second chance points.
12. The next matchup will be a regional semifinal game against a red-hot Auburn club that started the season in the national top ten. That game will be played in Kansas City on Friday at a time to be announced later today.Â
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1. Carolina advances to the Sweet 16 for the tenth time in the Roy Williams era with an impressive win over Washington. The program has made an incredible 28 Sweet 16 trips in 50 NCAA Tournament appearances.
2. If Syracuse and Washington are the two best zone defense teams in the country, then Carolina has to be pretty close to the best zone offense team in the country. The Tar Heels dissected Mike Hopkins' 2-3 zone throughout the afternoon, consistently finding a player in the middle to either score or find a teammate for a better shot.Â
3. An electric five minutes from Nassir Little put the game out of reach. The freshman scored 11 straight points for the Tar Heels in stretching the advantage to 67-49 with 7:28 left, including one sequence when Little swatted a Huskies shot off the backboard, then dunked it on the other end. Even Little's miss during the series--when he was having a big impact offensively finding the soft middle of the UW zone--was exciting, as he nearly threw down a two-handed poster dunk before drawing a foul. Little finished with 20 points, his third 20-point game of his freshman season. He had 19 and 20 in the two games in Columbus, providing an added dimension off the bench that most opponents simply can't match.
4. The loss of Garrison Brooks to a tooth and lip injury that was not ruled a flagrant foul hampered Carolina's team defense after Brooks departed. The sophomore big man had been assigned to guard Noah Dickerson. Dickerson had two points--which came on the play that ended with Brooks bleeding--before Brooks left, and scored six over the remainder of the first half.Â
5. That play was so noteworthy that before the game ended, the NCAA had already issued a "pool reporter statement" saying that officials ruled Dickerson made a "normal basketball play" and Brooks was "inside the vertical cylinder of the offensive player." Hopefully Brooks can take that statement with him to the dentist.
6. Carolina generated most of Washington's offense for the Huskies in the first half. The Tar Heels committed ten turnovers in the first 20 minutes. Washington shot 6-for-7 off those miscues, but made just eight of 22 field goals otherwise. Sixteen of Washington's 33 first half points came off turnovers. Carolina committed just five turnovers in the second half.Â
7. Luke Maye had another big NCAA Tournament performance for the Tar Heels, finishing with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Maye's performance on the glass moves him into 11th on UNC's all-time rebounding list, passing Rusty Clark. Eric Montross is the next player in Maye's sites.
8. Coby White's points were impressive, but television may not provide a full picture of the energy and effort he provides. Twice in the first half--once on a rebound, once pouncing on a loose ball at midcourt--White took what was basically a 60-40 ball in favor of Washington and took control of it. There were also at least two instances when the freshman rocketed down the court after a Washington made basket and immediately created points for the Tar Heels. White finished with 17.
9. Kenny Williams will be happy to leave Columbus. The Carolina senior was banged around in the opener on Friday night, and then left for a few scary minutes with a left hamstring injury in the second half Sunday. Williams did eventually return but moved a little gingerly.
10. The NCAA rule that limits teams to 15 players dressing for an NCAA Tournament game is unfortunate. Shea Rush and Caleb Ellis are rotating that spot in the postseason, which meant that on Sunday afternoon Rush--despite being a full member of the team for the entire year--had to sit in the stands instead of with his teammates. Certainly there have to be limits to how many players are on the bench, but that doesn't feel like an appropriate way to treat a student-athlete.
11. Carolina dominated the glass against a Washington team that has struggled all year on the boards. UNC won the rebounding battle, 46-23, had a 14-8 edge on the offensive glass, and had a big 17-4 edge in second chance points.
12. The next matchup will be a regional semifinal game against a red-hot Auburn club that started the season in the national top ten. That game will be played in Kansas City on Friday at a time to be announced later today.Â
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