Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Great way to send six seniors out with a win in their final home game, a 93-83 decision over Wake Forest.

2. Garrison Brooks continues to make his All-ACC case. With Armando Bacot out, Brooks had to carry the interior scoring load, and he did, pouring in 25 points to go with seven rebounds. The junior continues to not particularly enjoy playing with the goggles that are protecting his scratched cornea--he tossed them off early in the second half, only to have athletic trainer Doug Halverson retrieve them--but he's producing.

3. Cole Anthony (26 points) has played two of his best overall games, if not his very best two, in the last two games. Anthony just looks so much more comfortable in the Carolina offense, and the surest sign is the way he's pushing the ball more effectively in transition. At least twice the freshman raced back down the court and created a Tar Heel basket after a Deacon score. Scoring quickly after opposing makes is usually one of the first sure signs a young point guard is grasping Roy Williams' principles. And, of course, it doesn't hurt that Anthony remains extremely talented. He had a terrific day shooting the ball, making four of his five three-point attempts.

4. Anthony and Brooks sometimes seemed to be working against each other a month or so ago. They've figured out a way to work together, and it shows in their production. The duo now have a combined 196 points in the last four games they've played together.

5. Anthony also keyed Carolina's efficient offense in taking advantage of Wake Forest turnovers. The Deacs have been careless with the ball this year and coughed it up 13 times on Tuesday. Carolina turned those miscues into an impressive 21 points. Anthony has 14 assists in the last two games, his highest two-game total in ACC play.

6. Very appropriate for Brandon Robinson to have a big night on senior day. The most experienced Tar Heel dropped in 18 points, including 5-for-9 from three-point range. His pair of big three-point shots with under six minutes to play gave the Tar Heels control of the game late.

7. Roy Williams showed how much trust he has in Garrison Brooks and Cole Anthony by leaving them in for the majority of the final 5:30 of the first half with two fouls. A third foul on either player would have severely hampered the Tar Heels in the second half, but both players made it through without picking up a third.

8. Who is this proficient perimeter team that has appeared in Chapel Hill over the past week? Carolina hit 10-of-17 three-point shots against Wake and has now made 21-of-43 in the past two games.

9. No better way to gauge the improvement of Christian Keeling than how he responded after a 0-for-4 performance in the first half. Undeterred--and on a night when Carolina needed offense--Keeling came out and scored nine second-half points.

10. You never know when a big run might have an impact. Carolina's 12-0 first half run in the opening minutes forced Wake Forest to burn a timeout. That meant they didn't have the use-it-or-lose-it timeout remaining with 3.2 seconds left in the half when they had an in-bounds play underneath the Deacon basket. Wake looked a little disorganized, didn't score, and Carolina took a one-point lead into the break.

11. Justin Pierce has developed a knack for drawing charges. He picked up several big ones in the win at Syracuse, then drew two more in the first half against Wake.

12. With six seniors, Carolina had to send all six players out for the opening tip. Then, as he has done in the past when Carolina has six seniors, Roy Williams pulled one back--in this year's case, it was Caleb Ellis. The other five seniors played the first 1:22 before Williams subbed in the regular starters. Williams took a late timeout with 6.9 seconds remaining to make sure Ellis got in the game, and that the seniors on the court--who included Robinson, Keeling and Pierce--could get one last ovation.

13. The injury news continues, as Armando Bacot sat out with an injury suffered in the win at Syracuse. With Brandon Huffman also unavailable, that left Brooks as the primary post option. Without Bacot, Carolina lost the rebounding battle 34-30, but they actually outscored Wake Forest in the paint 34-28.

14. Carolina is now 101-42 in the four-year careers of Robinson and Shea Rush.

Players Mentioned

Cole Anthony

Armando Bacot

Garrison Brooks

Caleb Ellis

Brandon Huffman

Christian Keeling

Justin Pierce

Brandon Robinson

Shea Rush

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