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University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Northeastern Rapid Reactions
February 17, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from Carolina's rare February non conference game.
By Adam Lucas
1. Carolina got what it needed on Wednesday night--a game, and a win. The Tar Heels defeated Northeastern, 82-62.
2. Credit to Carolina, Northeastern, Roy Williams, Huskies coach Bill Coen, Carolina men's basketball sport administrator Clint Gwaltney and all the players involved for getting this game scheduled and played on very short notice. In a time when we've somehow reached the point in the season that Division I basketball teams would rather stay home than play a game, neither side had to play this game. That they did tells you a great deal about both sides. A basketball game isn't the most important thing in the world. But it sure was nice to have a couple hours of normalcy.
3. And from an on-court perspective, it undoubtedly helped the Tar Heels to play this game. After a couple recent weeklong layoffs, there have been some errors that can be attributed to rust and a lack of game action. Carolina started a little carelessly with the ball, but began to look more crisp as the game progressed; the Tar Heels turned it over eight times in the first half but just once in the second.
4. Carolina's superior depth was a major factor. The Tar Heels piled up a 25-4 first half edge in bench points. Key contributions from the reserves included Andrew Platek's nine points, Day'Ron Sharpe's 13 points and six boards, and Walker Kessler's ten points. Carolina's eventual edge in bench points was 40-12. Those 40 points from the reserves were a season high.
5. The Tar Heels' advantage in the paint also played a big role. Carolina controlled the backboards, used their size to get easy baskets and second chance opportunities, and altered several Northeastern shots. The rebounding edge was 44-31, and the second chance points were 18-5.
6. How about a hand for the performance from Northeastern's Tyson Walker? The sophomore poured in 21 points in the first half, and it wasn't because he was gunning--he made seven of his eight shots. Carolina made a good adjustment against him in the second half, double-teaming him off all ball screens and forcing him to become a playmaker rather than a shooter. Walker finished with 27 points on 8-for-15Â from the field.
7. Carolina spent extra practice time this week shooting even more free throws than usual. It showed, as they hit 12 of 14 attempts. That reversed a trend that had seen the Heels hit just 45 of 87 charity tosses in the last four games. Not as impressive was the three-point shooting. Kerwin Walton hit three of his seven attempts, but the rest of the team made just two of ten (and one of those was banked in by Walker Kessler).
8. That's two straight very solid performances for Kessler. The Georgia freshman was good at Virginia, and showed that same relentless motor and some good instincts against the Huskies. Sometimes it takes a little luck, too--as with the bank shot from the top of the key--but Kessler finished with ten points and six rebounds (three of which came on one possession as he stayed after his own misses).
9. Caleb Love didn't shoot well, but he did have a season high nine assists. He also had just two turnovers as the education of a Carolina point guard continues. Speaking of underrated contributions, Garrison Brooks also didn't shoot very well, but he did have a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
10. Carolina played without Anthony Harris on Wednesday. The freshman guard is in concussion protocol after enduring a hard collision near the end of Saturday's game at Virginia. The Tar Heels were also without Puff Johnson, who missed his sixth straight game with a right foot injury.
11. Not to alarm anyone, but Carolina's path to the NCAA Tournament is getting treacherous. Let's get this out of the way first: the NCAA is going to play the Tournament. There's too much at stake financially not to play it. With that in mind, the Tar Heels just had Tuesday's game at Boston College postponed, a contest in which they would have been favored. This weekend's tilt with Louisville appears in peril after the Cardinals had to postpone today's game with Syracuse. To this point, the ACC has taken a relatively hands-off approach in scheduling issues. They will need to get more proactive--and more creative--to give all their teams the best chance to play in the postseason.
12. The biggest blemish on the Tar Heels' postseason credentials is quality wins. The Tar Heels are just 1-6 in quadrant 1 games. Saturday's game with Louisville would be another Q1 opportunity--which is why it's so important to play that game--as would the scheduled Feb. 27 game against Florida State. The game March 1 at Syracuse would also be a Q1 game (top-30 opponent by the NET rankings at home, top-50 opponent at a neutral site, or top-75 opponent on the road). One thing that would seem to be working in Carolina's favor is the fact that they aren't the only school having problems getting on the court. The traditional measure of an NCAA Tournament at-large qualifier is likely to be very different this year.
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1. Carolina got what it needed on Wednesday night--a game, and a win. The Tar Heels defeated Northeastern, 82-62.
2. Credit to Carolina, Northeastern, Roy Williams, Huskies coach Bill Coen, Carolina men's basketball sport administrator Clint Gwaltney and all the players involved for getting this game scheduled and played on very short notice. In a time when we've somehow reached the point in the season that Division I basketball teams would rather stay home than play a game, neither side had to play this game. That they did tells you a great deal about both sides. A basketball game isn't the most important thing in the world. But it sure was nice to have a couple hours of normalcy.
3. And from an on-court perspective, it undoubtedly helped the Tar Heels to play this game. After a couple recent weeklong layoffs, there have been some errors that can be attributed to rust and a lack of game action. Carolina started a little carelessly with the ball, but began to look more crisp as the game progressed; the Tar Heels turned it over eight times in the first half but just once in the second.
4. Carolina's superior depth was a major factor. The Tar Heels piled up a 25-4 first half edge in bench points. Key contributions from the reserves included Andrew Platek's nine points, Day'Ron Sharpe's 13 points and six boards, and Walker Kessler's ten points. Carolina's eventual edge in bench points was 40-12. Those 40 points from the reserves were a season high.
5. The Tar Heels' advantage in the paint also played a big role. Carolina controlled the backboards, used their size to get easy baskets and second chance opportunities, and altered several Northeastern shots. The rebounding edge was 44-31, and the second chance points were 18-5.
6. How about a hand for the performance from Northeastern's Tyson Walker? The sophomore poured in 21 points in the first half, and it wasn't because he was gunning--he made seven of his eight shots. Carolina made a good adjustment against him in the second half, double-teaming him off all ball screens and forcing him to become a playmaker rather than a shooter. Walker finished with 27 points on 8-for-15Â from the field.
7. Carolina spent extra practice time this week shooting even more free throws than usual. It showed, as they hit 12 of 14 attempts. That reversed a trend that had seen the Heels hit just 45 of 87 charity tosses in the last four games. Not as impressive was the three-point shooting. Kerwin Walton hit three of his seven attempts, but the rest of the team made just two of ten (and one of those was banked in by Walker Kessler).
8. That's two straight very solid performances for Kessler. The Georgia freshman was good at Virginia, and showed that same relentless motor and some good instincts against the Huskies. Sometimes it takes a little luck, too--as with the bank shot from the top of the key--but Kessler finished with ten points and six rebounds (three of which came on one possession as he stayed after his own misses).
9. Caleb Love didn't shoot well, but he did have a season high nine assists. He also had just two turnovers as the education of a Carolina point guard continues. Speaking of underrated contributions, Garrison Brooks also didn't shoot very well, but he did have a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
10. Carolina played without Anthony Harris on Wednesday. The freshman guard is in concussion protocol after enduring a hard collision near the end of Saturday's game at Virginia. The Tar Heels were also without Puff Johnson, who missed his sixth straight game with a right foot injury.
11. Not to alarm anyone, but Carolina's path to the NCAA Tournament is getting treacherous. Let's get this out of the way first: the NCAA is going to play the Tournament. There's too much at stake financially not to play it. With that in mind, the Tar Heels just had Tuesday's game at Boston College postponed, a contest in which they would have been favored. This weekend's tilt with Louisville appears in peril after the Cardinals had to postpone today's game with Syracuse. To this point, the ACC has taken a relatively hands-off approach in scheduling issues. They will need to get more proactive--and more creative--to give all their teams the best chance to play in the postseason.
12. The biggest blemish on the Tar Heels' postseason credentials is quality wins. The Tar Heels are just 1-6 in quadrant 1 games. Saturday's game with Louisville would be another Q1 opportunity--which is why it's so important to play that game--as would the scheduled Feb. 27 game against Florida State. The game March 1 at Syracuse would also be a Q1 game (top-30 opponent by the NET rankings at home, top-50 opponent at a neutral site, or top-75 opponent on the road). One thing that would seem to be working in Carolina's favor is the fact that they aren't the only school having problems getting on the court. The traditional measure of an NCAA Tournament at-large qualifier is likely to be very different this year.
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