Lucas: Kentucky Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. In a grimy, defensive-minded game that was the antithesis of the offensive showdown when these two teams met in Las Vegas in this event in 2016, Carolina got just enough stops to beat Kentucky, 75-63. Armando Bacot continued to be very consistent and led the Tar Heels with 14 points.

2. Carolina's freshmen showed a little something in this game. Caleb Love wasn't very efficient (four-for-14 from the field) but had a stellar 6 assist, 2 turnover performance. Kerwin Walton contributed a gamechanging eight straight points midway through the second half. Puff Johnson made a gorgeous floater in that stretch. And Day'Ron Sharpe was terrific late in the game, showing tremendous instincts while also scoring, passing and rebounding as the Tar Heels put Kentucky away. Sharpe finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.

3. Life as a freshman: Kerwin Walton had a rough opening half, missing a couple of box outs and nearly allowing a buzzer-beating three-pointer near halftime because of a defensive lapse. But the ability to put the ball in the basket can cover up numerous struggles, and Walton had a stretch of eight straight points midway through the second half that gave Carolina a lead. Two of those baskets were three-point shots, a welcome sight for a Tar Heel team that has struggled from the perimeter.

4. Rebounding was a halftime concern for the Tar Heels. Carolina has been accustomed to controlling the glass this season, but they allowed Kentucky to grab offensive rebounds on nearly half their missed field goals in the first half, which led to a 14-5 Wildcat advantage in second chance points. The Tar Heels responded--they kept the Cats off the offensive backboards for the first eleven minutes of the second half and led the second chance scoring category 13-2 in the final half.

5. Whistles played an important role in the game. Four different Wildcats fouled out and the two teams--neither of which was having much success on the perimeter and had to pound the ball inside--were called for a combined 55 fouls. Thirty-four of those fouls were called in a marathon second half.

6. With the frequent fouling, Carolina could have put the game away with a better performance at the free throw line. Even after making the final four attempts of the second half, the Tar Heels converted just 16 of 24 charity tosses in the final period and 18-for-29 in the game.

7. Andrew Platek started the second half in place of RJ Davis after the freshman was worked on by athletic trainer Doug Halverson during the halftime break. Davis finally entered the contest with 9:42 remaining; Leaky Black had run a couple of possessions at point guard in Davis's absence. Davis played just three minutes in the second half.

8. Kentucky pretty clearly thought they could take advantage of Platek defensively and tried to go directly at the senior on multiple occasions. But the senior largely held his ground and was part of limiting Brandon Boston to 5-for-13 from the field. Platek had six points, four rebounds, two assists and just one turnover in 24 minutes.

9. Carolina Basketball tends to travel the country on a fairly thorough basis. But Cleveland isn't a frequent destination. Saturday's game was just the second time in the Roy Williams era the Tar Heels have traveled to Cleveland--the other was the third game of Williams' tenure, when Carolina beat Cleveland State in a snowy "home" game for Jawad Williams. That was the only previous game in Cleveland in program history.

10. What a very, very strange atmosphere for a game between two of the best college basketball programs in history. For the first time this season, Carolina played a game in which no fans at all--not even families of players--were allowed. At tip-off, there were approximately 50 people in the 20,562-seat building other than the two teams. There were no player introductions and no national anthem. You could clearly hear virtually every word from the two benches, especially from Kentucky's John Calipari, who was vocal even in an empty arena. The Wildcats eventually earned a bench warning.

11. The late opponent shuffle this week also jumbled the usual rotation of CBS Sports Classic opponents and venues. The Tar Heels were set to face Kentucky in the 2021 event. Now that that game has already happened, next year's opponent (and location) are uncertain.

12. The rhythm of the season continues to feel a little off. The customary feeling after the CBS Sports Classic is that the first segment of the campaign is over, players can return home, and it's time for a short break. This year, though, there's no taking a breath--Carolina opens Atlantic Coast Conference play Tuesday night at 9 p.m. at NC State.

13. Carolina is now 13-6 against Kentucky at neutral sites, including wins in Cleveland, Charlotte, Greensboro, Louisville, Atlanta, Birmingham, College Park, East Rutherford, Memphis and Raleigh. The Tar Heels had been 0-2 against the Cats in this event.

14. Unfortunately, you can't be in the arena to see this, but the Tar Heels have tweaked their pregame warmup routine. There is now one pregame segment devoted to catch-and-shoot three-point shots from the corners and the top of the arc. That's a new addition to the Roy Williams repertoire, which had been largely unchanged since he arrived for the 2003-04 season.

15. Carolina is now 25-16 against Kentucky overall. The Tar Heels are the only Division I program in the country with ten or more wins against the Cats and a winning record in the series.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Leaky Black

RJ Davis

Puff Johnson

Caleb Love

Andrew Platek

Day'Ron Sharpe

Kerwin Walton

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