Lucas: College of Charleston Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. We got to see the Tar Heels play a basketball game, and they won handily. Given the way the last few months have gone, that's a successful night. Carolina put four players in double figures (Caleb Love with 17, Day'Ron Sharpe with 13, Armando Bacot with 12 and RJ Davis with 11) on the way to a 79-60 victory over the College of Charleston.

2. Keep in mind that Roy Williams said on the Tar Heel Sports Network before the game that this might be the team in his Carolina tenure that could have most used an exhibition game. The Tar Heels didn't get it, of course, and there were some ragged results on the court. Lineups, rotations and communication are all a work in progress.

3. It's a young team. It's a young team. It's a young team. That's what you have to keep repeating when this year's Tar Heels go through stretches like they did early in the second half, when Charleston was having good success beating them off the dribble, was getting to the backboards effectively, and saw Carolina couldn't find the basket. That eventually allowed the visitors to take a one-point lead. But then Carolina went on a 12-0 run, with all 12 of those points scored by freshmen (it eventually turned into a 17-0 stretch). What does that mean? It's a young team. They're going to be inconsistent, especially early in the season.

4. This team has some defensive potential. Caleb Love and RJ Davis showed a willingness to contest virtually every pass in the frontcourt (with both positive and negative results). Couple that with the ability of Sharpe and the other Carolina big men to defend the rim plus the good Tar Heel depth, and you have the ingredients for a quality defensive team. Love ignited one of the prettiest plays of the game by diving on the floor near midcourt to steal a first half pass. He then fed Davis, who passed to Kerwin Walton, who gave it right back to Davis for a transition layup.

5. Garrison Brooks is probably one of those players ACC opponents feel like has been around forever. And after starting Wednesday night, Brooks is in rare company. The last Tar Heel to start for a large portion of four seasons was Kennedy Meeks (2013-17). Brooks would become the fourth Tar Heel to do it in the Roy Williams era, joining Meeks, Tyler Hansbrough and Marcus Paige. Only 13 Tar Heels have started for most of four seasons since freshmen became eligible for the 1972-73 season: Walter Davis, Phil Ford, Mike O'Koren, Sam Perkins, Brad Daugherty, Kenny Smith, Jeff Lebo, Ademola Okulaja, Jason Capel, Kris Lang, Hansbrough, Paige and Meeks.

6. Brooks missed a couple shots he would ordinarily make and finished 3-for-10 from the field. But he also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. It's a nice luxury to be able to weather a subpar shooting performance from the preseason ACC Player of the Year and still get a big win.

7. Caleb Love and RJ Davis started their first game as Tar Heels, marking the second straight season Carolina has started a pair of freshmen. The Tar Heels have started at least one freshman in the season opener for four straight seasons and have started a total of seven freshmen in the season opener in the past four seasons.

8. The halftime rebounding totals can't have pleased Roy Williams. The Tar Heels didn't get an offensive rebound in the final 11:48 of the first half, and watched as an undersized College of Charleston team recorded eight second chance points during that same stretch. The overall rebounding was tied 18-18 at the break.

9. And the Tar Heels were much more effective on the backboards in the second half. During the decisive stretch of the second half, 18 of Carolina's 27 points were scored off offensive rebounds, as the Tar Heels were just relentless going to the glass following misses. Carolina ended the game with a double-digit advantage in rebounding.

10. Go ahead and begin the Andrew Platek conversations. The senior guard shot just 2-for-9 and missed a couple open jumpers. But his defensive effort was important during the key stretch of the game. Platek's role can be different this year. Carolina has other players who can make shots, and it remains to be seen how Puff Johnson and Kerwin Walton will develop. At minimum, though, Platek understands what Roy Williams is trying to accomplish and can provide some energy in short bursts. The Tar Heels don't need him to be the only perimeter shooter.

11. Keep in mind that Carolina might have even more depth than was on display Wednesday night. Walker Kessler played limited minutes but could evolve into a bigger role--his length around the basket was effective on both offense and defense in the second half--and Anthony Harris and Sterling Manley watched from the sideline in street clothes. Harris is closer than Manley to returning at this point.

12. If you saw the cardboard cutouts in the stands at the Smith Center, there's still time to get your picture (or your dog's picture--there were a surprising amount of dogs) or a loved one's picture in the seats. The link to order is here.

13. The Tar Heels are now 18-0 in home openers under Roy Williams.

14. We've repeatedly said the same thing with regard to football this season. This year, the goals are twofold: 1. Play the game. 2. Win the game. Carolina accomplished both of those goals on Wednesday night, so it was a successful day. The competition will get even tougher next week with three games in Asheville for the Maui Invitational.

15. The busy shopping season starts this weekend. Don't forget that a signed book is a great way to treat your favorite Carolina basketball fan. Information on ordering, plus the wide variety of choices, is available here.

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Garrison Brooks

RJ Davis

Anthony Harris

Puff Johnson

Walker Kessler

Caleb Love

Sterling Manley

Andrew Platek

Day'Ron Sharpe

Kerwin Walton

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