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University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Stanford Rapid Reactions
December 1, 2020 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from Carolina's Maui Invitational semifinal.
By Adam Lucas
1. Wasn't expecting a defensive battle when Roy Williams met Jerod Haase, but that's what we got. And Carolina's defense was just good enough, holding Stanford without a field goal over the final 4:22 on the way to a 67-63 win to advance to the Maui championship game.
2. The six players who were on the court the most at the end--Leaky Black, Caleb Love, RJ Davis, Day'Ron Sharpe, Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks--had some very, very good defensive possessions. The crackdown actually began with about six minutes left with Carolina trailing 58-55. From there, Stanford managed just one field goal.
3. Carolina came into the game with 51 second chance points this season on 36 offensive rebounds. Roy Williams constantly reminds his team to "make them pay" after an offensive rebound. But the Tar Heels had trouble converting on a dominating backboard advantage against Stanford. Nine offensive rebounds led to just eight second chance points in the first half. The Cardinal did a much better job of shutting off the offensive glass in the second half, as Carolina finished with 15 offensive boards.
4. It's a safe bet that Roy Williams reminded Caleb Love at halftime that he's supposed to help facilitate the offense, not be the entire offense. Love attempted 11 of Carolina's 30 field goals in the first half, but made just two. A major coaching point with Love in recent weeks has been shot selection and how his shooting fits into the Tar Heel offense. Love still hoisted 18 shots, but he is completely fearless and finished with a game-high 16 points.
5. Carolina needed to take better advantage when Oscar da Silva went out with two fouls just two minutes into the game. Stanford held a 5-1 lead at the time; Carolina completely controlled the backboards in da Silva's absence (20-10 rebounding edge in the first half) but had trouble sustaining any offense.
6. Jerod Haase learned from Roy Williams, but that doesn't mean he copied him. After his team called two timeouts on loose balls in the second half, Haase called his third and final timeout with 6:37 left in the game when both teams looked tired. Of course, he also had a very good scouting report on the Tar Heels and may not have felt he needed a stoppage to get a message to his team. On multiple occasions in the second half, Stanford players were calling out the sets Carolina was trying to run offensively.
7. Day'Ron Sharpe hasn't had an easy first two days in Asheville, but he showed off an underappreciated aspect of his game on Tuesday. The freshman handed out three first half assists (Carolina only had five as a team), and would've had a fourth "the way we keep them" on a pass that led to free throws for Garrison Brooks. The big man continues to see the floor even while posting up, and had another could-be assist in the second half to Walker Kessler (he finished with four assists). Sharpe was quietly very important in the closing minutes, securing a couple of his seven rebounds and a big blocked shot.
8. Carolina took possession with 50.6 seconds remaining in the first half on a dead ball, and Williams immediately called a set that would enable the Tar Heels to go two-for-one. That end of half execution can be tricky, especially with a freshman point guard, but Carolina executed it well. Love scored immediately on the first possession, the Carolina defense got a stop thanks to a Leaky Black steal, and Love drew some contact but no foul on the second possession.
9. Roy Williams was very pleased with his team's defensive effort against UNLV on Monday, going so far as to call Leaky Black "sensational" on the defensive end against the Rebels. Only two players qualified for the defensive award from the coaches (twice as many "good" plays as compared to "bad" plays as judged by the coaches) after the opener against College of Charleston; three times as many players qualified after the UNLV game. Black was again very good against Stanford, helping limit standout freshman Ziaire Williams to 4-for-9 shooting and ten points. Black, of course, also sealed the game with a free throw.
10. Roy Williams against his former players: 5-1 against Jerod Haase, 3-0 against Wes Miller, 2-0 against C.B. McGrath and 1-0 against Rex Walters. Haase has a very good club this season that appears to have all the pieces.
11. You come away from this game frustrated with Carolina's carelessness with the ball (24 turnovers) but impressed with their competitiveness. The Tar Heels have been too casual with the ball in Asheville, and it's not just one player. But they compete even when things are going poorly. They will need even more of that against a Texas team that was very impressive in their semifinal win. The championship game will be at 4 p.m.
1. Wasn't expecting a defensive battle when Roy Williams met Jerod Haase, but that's what we got. And Carolina's defense was just good enough, holding Stanford without a field goal over the final 4:22 on the way to a 67-63 win to advance to the Maui championship game.
2. The six players who were on the court the most at the end--Leaky Black, Caleb Love, RJ Davis, Day'Ron Sharpe, Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks--had some very, very good defensive possessions. The crackdown actually began with about six minutes left with Carolina trailing 58-55. From there, Stanford managed just one field goal.
3. Carolina came into the game with 51 second chance points this season on 36 offensive rebounds. Roy Williams constantly reminds his team to "make them pay" after an offensive rebound. But the Tar Heels had trouble converting on a dominating backboard advantage against Stanford. Nine offensive rebounds led to just eight second chance points in the first half. The Cardinal did a much better job of shutting off the offensive glass in the second half, as Carolina finished with 15 offensive boards.
4. It's a safe bet that Roy Williams reminded Caleb Love at halftime that he's supposed to help facilitate the offense, not be the entire offense. Love attempted 11 of Carolina's 30 field goals in the first half, but made just two. A major coaching point with Love in recent weeks has been shot selection and how his shooting fits into the Tar Heel offense. Love still hoisted 18 shots, but he is completely fearless and finished with a game-high 16 points.
5. Carolina needed to take better advantage when Oscar da Silva went out with two fouls just two minutes into the game. Stanford held a 5-1 lead at the time; Carolina completely controlled the backboards in da Silva's absence (20-10 rebounding edge in the first half) but had trouble sustaining any offense.
6. Jerod Haase learned from Roy Williams, but that doesn't mean he copied him. After his team called two timeouts on loose balls in the second half, Haase called his third and final timeout with 6:37 left in the game when both teams looked tired. Of course, he also had a very good scouting report on the Tar Heels and may not have felt he needed a stoppage to get a message to his team. On multiple occasions in the second half, Stanford players were calling out the sets Carolina was trying to run offensively.
7. Day'Ron Sharpe hasn't had an easy first two days in Asheville, but he showed off an underappreciated aspect of his game on Tuesday. The freshman handed out three first half assists (Carolina only had five as a team), and would've had a fourth "the way we keep them" on a pass that led to free throws for Garrison Brooks. The big man continues to see the floor even while posting up, and had another could-be assist in the second half to Walker Kessler (he finished with four assists). Sharpe was quietly very important in the closing minutes, securing a couple of his seven rebounds and a big blocked shot.
8. Carolina took possession with 50.6 seconds remaining in the first half on a dead ball, and Williams immediately called a set that would enable the Tar Heels to go two-for-one. That end of half execution can be tricky, especially with a freshman point guard, but Carolina executed it well. Love scored immediately on the first possession, the Carolina defense got a stop thanks to a Leaky Black steal, and Love drew some contact but no foul on the second possession.
9. Roy Williams was very pleased with his team's defensive effort against UNLV on Monday, going so far as to call Leaky Black "sensational" on the defensive end against the Rebels. Only two players qualified for the defensive award from the coaches (twice as many "good" plays as compared to "bad" plays as judged by the coaches) after the opener against College of Charleston; three times as many players qualified after the UNLV game. Black was again very good against Stanford, helping limit standout freshman Ziaire Williams to 4-for-9 shooting and ten points. Black, of course, also sealed the game with a free throw.
10. Roy Williams against his former players: 5-1 against Jerod Haase, 3-0 against Wes Miller, 2-0 against C.B. McGrath and 1-0 against Rex Walters. Haase has a very good club this season that appears to have all the pieces.
11. You come away from this game frustrated with Carolina's carelessness with the ball (24 turnovers) but impressed with their competitiveness. The Tar Heels have been too casual with the ball in Asheville, and it's not just one player. But they compete even when things are going poorly. They will need even more of that against a Texas team that was very impressive in their semifinal win. The championship game will be at 4 p.m.
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