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University of North Carolina Athletics
Walker Kessler
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Notre Dame Rapid Reactions
March 10, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the ACC Tournament opener.
By Adam Lucas
1. Some pinball-type numbers in Carolina's victory over Notre Dame, as the Tar Heels lit up the box score in a 101-59 victory over the Irish.
2. The Tar Heel big men feasted on Notre Dame's undersized post players. Even without Garrison Brooks, Carolina completely controlled the game around the rim. The Tar Heels outrebounded the Irish, 54-31, and outscored them in the paint, 56-20. Carolina pulled in a massive 25 offensive rebounds and had a 27-13 advantage in second chance points. Three different Heels had a double-double: Armando Bacot had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and the freshman big man duo was sensational (more below).
3. The absence of Brooks meant more minutes for Day'Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler, and they made the most of them. Sharpe had 14 points, 10 rebounds and tied for the team lead with six assists, while Kessler had 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks.Â
4. The big men also keyed a very solid defensive effort. Kessler's blocks were important, of course--and he blocked shots all over the court, including a three-pointer--but the Tar Heels overall just looked more cohesive on that end of the court. Notre Dame made just six of 31 shots in the second half and made 31.1 percent from the field for the game. Carolina had nine steals to go with a dozen blocks--the 12 rejections were a program record in the ACC Tournament.
5. There are a lot of variables in this comparison, of course. But it's worth remembering that the Tar Heels labored through a 66-65 win over this same Irish team in Chapel Hill back on January 2. In that game, Carolina scored its 50th point with 9:47 remaining in the game. The Heels put up 50 by halftime in the ACC Tournament rematch--tied for the most points they have scored in an ACC Tournament half under Roy Williams. Carolina is running the floor much, much better than they did in January--best highlighted by Leaky Black getting a bucket just four seconds after an Irish basket in the first half. The Heels had a 19-6 edge in fast break points.
6. Carolina's 37-2 run midway through the second half blew the game open. It was a completely domination on both ends of the court, and wrapped in that run was a 22-0 run that was finally broken by a free throw with 3:41 remaining.Â
7. There are going to be lots more big numbers to come following this game, as Steve Kirschner will be burning through the record book. Early returns suggest that's the biggest Carolina win ever in the ACC Tournament, surpassing a 36-point win over NC State in 1993. The last time the Heels scored 100+ in the ACC Tournament was also 1993.
8. Quietly solid game by Caleb Love. The freshman point guard had 15 points and six assists and was also important defensively.
9. Carolina played without Garrison Brooks, who injured his ankle in the win over Duke on Saturday. Brooks, as you might recall, missed some early minutes in that game, but was eventually able to return and turn in a stellar performance in a senior day win over Duke ("I wasn't going out at home on an ankle sprain," Brooks said after the game. "I'm tougher than that."). But Brooks was very limited in practice this week and was not able to go against the Irish. It was just the second time in 132 career games that Brooks did not play (the other was last year at Louisville).
10. Good to see some Tar Heel lettermen on hand--Jackie Manuel, Wes Miller and Kenny Williams were both in the socially distanced Greensboro Coliseum crowd.
11. Roy Williams has now tied Bob Knight in third place all-time with 902 victories. The two coaches ahead of him on the list, Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim, are also both in Greensboro. Carolina has now won nine of the last ten against Notre Dame in the series.
12. That sets up a fascinating game with Virginia Tech tomorrow around 9 p.m. in the quarterfinals. The Hokies have some very solid wins this year, but also have only played two games in the past month.
1. Some pinball-type numbers in Carolina's victory over Notre Dame, as the Tar Heels lit up the box score in a 101-59 victory over the Irish.
2. The Tar Heel big men feasted on Notre Dame's undersized post players. Even without Garrison Brooks, Carolina completely controlled the game around the rim. The Tar Heels outrebounded the Irish, 54-31, and outscored them in the paint, 56-20. Carolina pulled in a massive 25 offensive rebounds and had a 27-13 advantage in second chance points. Three different Heels had a double-double: Armando Bacot had 20 points and 13 rebounds, and the freshman big man duo was sensational (more below).
3. The absence of Brooks meant more minutes for Day'Ron Sharpe and Walker Kessler, and they made the most of them. Sharpe had 14 points, 10 rebounds and tied for the team lead with six assists, while Kessler had 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocks.Â
4. The big men also keyed a very solid defensive effort. Kessler's blocks were important, of course--and he blocked shots all over the court, including a three-pointer--but the Tar Heels overall just looked more cohesive on that end of the court. Notre Dame made just six of 31 shots in the second half and made 31.1 percent from the field for the game. Carolina had nine steals to go with a dozen blocks--the 12 rejections were a program record in the ACC Tournament.
5. There are a lot of variables in this comparison, of course. But it's worth remembering that the Tar Heels labored through a 66-65 win over this same Irish team in Chapel Hill back on January 2. In that game, Carolina scored its 50th point with 9:47 remaining in the game. The Heels put up 50 by halftime in the ACC Tournament rematch--tied for the most points they have scored in an ACC Tournament half under Roy Williams. Carolina is running the floor much, much better than they did in January--best highlighted by Leaky Black getting a bucket just four seconds after an Irish basket in the first half. The Heels had a 19-6 edge in fast break points.
6. Carolina's 37-2 run midway through the second half blew the game open. It was a completely domination on both ends of the court, and wrapped in that run was a 22-0 run that was finally broken by a free throw with 3:41 remaining.Â
7. There are going to be lots more big numbers to come following this game, as Steve Kirschner will be burning through the record book. Early returns suggest that's the biggest Carolina win ever in the ACC Tournament, surpassing a 36-point win over NC State in 1993. The last time the Heels scored 100+ in the ACC Tournament was also 1993.
8. Quietly solid game by Caleb Love. The freshman point guard had 15 points and six assists and was also important defensively.
9. Carolina played without Garrison Brooks, who injured his ankle in the win over Duke on Saturday. Brooks, as you might recall, missed some early minutes in that game, but was eventually able to return and turn in a stellar performance in a senior day win over Duke ("I wasn't going out at home on an ankle sprain," Brooks said after the game. "I'm tougher than that."). But Brooks was very limited in practice this week and was not able to go against the Irish. It was just the second time in 132 career games that Brooks did not play (the other was last year at Louisville).
10. Good to see some Tar Heel lettermen on hand--Jackie Manuel, Wes Miller and Kenny Williams were both in the socially distanced Greensboro Coliseum crowd.
11. Roy Williams has now tied Bob Knight in third place all-time with 902 victories. The two coaches ahead of him on the list, Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim, are also both in Greensboro. Carolina has now won nine of the last ten against Notre Dame in the series.
12. That sets up a fascinating game with Virginia Tech tomorrow around 9 p.m. in the quarterfinals. The Hokies have some very solid wins this year, but also have only played two games in the past month.
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