Lucas: NC State Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Carolina's 86-76 win over NC State was a nice window into how much the Tar Heels have improved in the last month. The Heels didn't do anything tremendously well, but they were overall much more efficient offensively and better defensively than they were in the first meeting.

2. The Heels pounded the ball into the paint throughout the game. Carolina owned the rebounding battle, 44-30, and outscored State in the paint, 48-38. They were much more efficient closer to the basket than they were in recent games, as they converted 33 of 57 two-point shots. Notably, Carolina was better defending dribble penetration.

3. Roy Williams called Carolina's defensive performance in an early season loss to the Pack one of the worst by one of his teams in his coaching career. The Heels were better in the rematch, including forcing a pair of shot clock violations in the first half. State didn't shoot the ball terribly, but they also converted some tough opportunities.

4. State's Devon Daniels had a nice game, scoring 21 points. But he had significantly more offensive success when Leaky Black was not on the floor. When Daniels started to heat up against RJ Davis and Caleb Love early in the second half, Roy Williams quickly put Black into the game, and Daniels went over eight minutes without a basket.

5. Carolina may have played its best first half of the season in building a 43-33 halftime advantage, the biggest lead at the break this season. Carolina executed at a 1.0 points per possession clip in the first 20 minutes, the best first half in that category this season. Why does it matter? The Heels came into the game having been outscored by 22 points in the first half this year.

6. Part of that overall improvement is owed to the presence of Anthony Harris. The redshirt freshman again tossed in a three-pointer, but showed his true value in the second half, when he was tough defensively and also aggressive taking the ball to the basket. Harris' energy is an asset off the bench. Williams used Harris as the defensive end of offensive/defensive substitutions late in the second half, which put him on the floor to snag a Love airball and put it in for a ten-point lead with under three minutes to play. Harris was the fifth Tar Heel in double figures, scoring ten points.

7. Kerwin Walton is learning what it means to be scouted in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The looks the freshman sharpshooter was getting a couple of weeks ago have been eliminated, as defenses realize he is Carolina's best shooting threat. Walton was 3-for-6 against State, but showed some good patience on his first three-pointer, as he waited for a defender to sail by and then hit a big second half three-pointer. Walton's other trifecta was a big one, as it stopped a flurry of UNC second half turnovers.

8. Carolina's reserves were a big part of the win. The Tar Heels dominated the points off the bench category, winning that stat, 38-12. Day'Ron Sharpe's 16 points (to go with ten rebounds) meant he outscored the Pack bench by himself. His offensive rebound and putback in significant traffic with approximately 90 seconds to play was a huge basket.

9. The evolution of Caleb Love continues. The freshman looks much more sure of himself running the offense, and he's playing much closer to the pace Williams desires. He handed out five assists and scored 14 points (6 for 15 from the field)...but he also had five turnovers.

10. Saturday was the latest chapter in a tough freshman season for Puff Johnson. The rookie was in street clothes for the game and had a boot on his right foot. Johnson has shown some flashes this year, and it would be incorrect to determine the remaining trajectory of his career off 59 minutes played this season. His status for upcoming games is uncertain.

11. It didn't determine the outcome of the game, but Saturday's contest was noticeably officiated differently than virtually any game Carolina has played this year. The crew of Roger Ayers, Pat Driscoll and Tony Henderson largely led both teams play. Eight total fouls were called in the first half, one of which was committed intentionally by Garrison Brooks right before the buzzer because Carolina had fouls to give. Keep in mind, though, that Ayers is generally considered the league's best official. Coaches are far more likely to be frustrated with officiating inconsistency (which wasn't at all the case on Saturday) than they are with consistent physical play. The second half had a more strict officiating tone, and the Pack was in the bonus midway through the second period. Even when Carolina could get to the free throw line, they didn't help themselves at all, as they made just 7-for-16 from the charity stripe. That figure includes RJ Davis missing the front end of a one-and-one in the closing minutes.

12. Davis, by the way, hit double figure scoring for the fourth straight game, making him just the second Tar Heel freshman to do that this season (Love is the other). He's 13-for-22 from the field in his last three games, and he's attempted just one three-pointer in the last two games. Davis isn't big, but he's figuring out how to score inside the arc at the ACC level.

13. Roy Williams is now 33-5 against NC State as Carolina's head coach and 38-5 against the Pack overall. He has won 16 of his 18 games against NC State in Chapel Hill.

Players Mentioned

Leaky Black

Garrison Brooks

RJ Davis

Anthony Harris

Puff Johnson

Caleb Love

Day'Ron Sharpe

Kerwin Walton

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