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University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
March 6, 2021 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the regular season finale.
By Adam Lucas
1. That was a very satisfying ending to an uneven regular season, as Carolina led Duke by double digits for the final 34:19 of the game on the way to a 91-73 victory. That's one of the most thorough beatings you're going to see in a Carolina-Duke game.
2. The win gives the Tar Heels the sixth seed in this week's ACC Tournament. They will open on Wednesday night against the winner of the Notre Dame-Wake Forest game. Then the winner of that game will take on third seed Virginia Tech.
3. Armando Bacot continues to plug along and put up big numbers. The sophomore quietly had 18 points and six rebounds. He was 6-for-10 from the field on a night when the Heels shot better than 50 percent against Duke for the second time this season.
4. What a fun night for Garrison Brooks on senior day after a scary beginning, when he suffered what appeared to be a potentially painful ankle injury. What he'll probably want to talk about the most are his two three-pointers, but he also tossed in a handful of midrange jumpers and played very solid defense on Duke's Matthew Hurt for the second time this season (Hurt finished 6-for-16 from the field). Brooks had 14 points and four rebounds in his final appearance at the Smith Center.
5. Caleb Love really enjoys shooting against the royal blue...er, black...uh, dark navy of Duke. Love hit four of his five three-pointers in Durham, then went 3-for-22 since then, and then nailed two more against the Devils on Saturday. Love also had seven assists to go with his 18 points.
6. Turnovers continue to be an issue for the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels coughed it up 20 times, which led to 23 Duke points, most often coming when Carolina struggled mightily against full-court pressure (the second half was a bit of an adventure). One bright side: the Heels did pass the ball more effectively than they had recently, handing out 21 assists on 31 baskets. You'd have your choice of which pass was the prettiest, but Leaky Black to Day'Ron Sharpe for a second half slam dunk and three-point play would be a nice choice.
7. If you watch the tape of Walker Kessler in Durham and compare it to Saturday's effort, it's very impressive progress. Kessler was playing with all-out effort at Cameron Indoor, but occasionally looked lost on the court. Flash forward a month later, and Kessler made a difference in the game, changing multiple shots defensively to go with his four points and four rebounds in nine minutes.
8. It's been fun to watch the evolution of Kerwin Walton this season. He began the year as little more than a standstill jumpshooter. He's evolved into a player who is comfortable driving to the rim and scoring, and on Saturday he also showed off a very nice crossover that got himself free for a three-pointer that he nailed in the first half. A sophomore version of Kerwin Walton is going to be a dangerous weapon in the ACC. Walton had been 5-24 from three-point range in his last three games, but hit four of seven against Duke and finished with 18 points.
9. The victory continued an amazing Carolina basketball streak. The Tar Heels have now recorded a home-and-home sweep of at least one conference foe in every year the Atlantic Coast Conference has existed. The Tar Heels, of course, also won in Durham and completed the sweep on Saturday. In a year with so many games moving around (Miami declined to play in Chapel Hill, so that sweep was made impossible) and a schedule constantly under construction, it's remarkable to continue that stat.
10. Very few things better than when a Tar Heel reserve senior gets the start on senior day against Duke and makes a tone-setting play in the opening minutes. Such was the case for Walker Miller, who drew a charge on D.J. Steward on the game's first possession that helped propel Carolina to a fast start.
11. In a year when Carolina was very inconsistent, there was one thing you could count on with the Tar Heels: they were very tough at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels finished the year 10-1 at home, with only the defeat in the hastily scheduled game against Marquette as a blemish on the record. The difference in the home version of Carolina and the road version of the Heels was stark. UNC finished the regular season with a +2 combined scoring margin away from home, and +127 at home.
12. So ends one of the weirdest ACC regular seasons in memory. The Tar Heels are one of only three ACC teams with a winning record that also played 12 games against the top ten teams in the league standings (Clemson and Georgia Tech are the others). The Heels have also played the most away games (seven) against the top ten teams in the ACC standings.
13. It really shouldn't be this hard to figure out: Roy Williams doesn't like it when Smith Center fans chant "N-I-T" at an opponent. As he always does, the head coach was quick to wave off students when they tried to begin the chant in the second half.
14. Want some fun numbers to help you sleep well tonight? Carolina's 18-point win over Duke was tied for the biggest win over the Devils in the Williams era. Carolina's regular season sweep of Duke is the fourth such sweep in the Roy Williams era (along with 2007, 2009 and 2019).
15. Have to feel great for Sterling Manley. The big man got into the game for the closing seconds and slammed home a dunk and blocked a shot.
1. That was a very satisfying ending to an uneven regular season, as Carolina led Duke by double digits for the final 34:19 of the game on the way to a 91-73 victory. That's one of the most thorough beatings you're going to see in a Carolina-Duke game.
2. The win gives the Tar Heels the sixth seed in this week's ACC Tournament. They will open on Wednesday night against the winner of the Notre Dame-Wake Forest game. Then the winner of that game will take on third seed Virginia Tech.
3. Armando Bacot continues to plug along and put up big numbers. The sophomore quietly had 18 points and six rebounds. He was 6-for-10 from the field on a night when the Heels shot better than 50 percent against Duke for the second time this season.
4. What a fun night for Garrison Brooks on senior day after a scary beginning, when he suffered what appeared to be a potentially painful ankle injury. What he'll probably want to talk about the most are his two three-pointers, but he also tossed in a handful of midrange jumpers and played very solid defense on Duke's Matthew Hurt for the second time this season (Hurt finished 6-for-16 from the field). Brooks had 14 points and four rebounds in his final appearance at the Smith Center.
5. Caleb Love really enjoys shooting against the royal blue...er, black...uh, dark navy of Duke. Love hit four of his five three-pointers in Durham, then went 3-for-22 since then, and then nailed two more against the Devils on Saturday. Love also had seven assists to go with his 18 points.
6. Turnovers continue to be an issue for the Tar Heels. The Tar Heels coughed it up 20 times, which led to 23 Duke points, most often coming when Carolina struggled mightily against full-court pressure (the second half was a bit of an adventure). One bright side: the Heels did pass the ball more effectively than they had recently, handing out 21 assists on 31 baskets. You'd have your choice of which pass was the prettiest, but Leaky Black to Day'Ron Sharpe for a second half slam dunk and three-point play would be a nice choice.
7. If you watch the tape of Walker Kessler in Durham and compare it to Saturday's effort, it's very impressive progress. Kessler was playing with all-out effort at Cameron Indoor, but occasionally looked lost on the court. Flash forward a month later, and Kessler made a difference in the game, changing multiple shots defensively to go with his four points and four rebounds in nine minutes.
8. It's been fun to watch the evolution of Kerwin Walton this season. He began the year as little more than a standstill jumpshooter. He's evolved into a player who is comfortable driving to the rim and scoring, and on Saturday he also showed off a very nice crossover that got himself free for a three-pointer that he nailed in the first half. A sophomore version of Kerwin Walton is going to be a dangerous weapon in the ACC. Walton had been 5-24 from three-point range in his last three games, but hit four of seven against Duke and finished with 18 points.
9. The victory continued an amazing Carolina basketball streak. The Tar Heels have now recorded a home-and-home sweep of at least one conference foe in every year the Atlantic Coast Conference has existed. The Tar Heels, of course, also won in Durham and completed the sweep on Saturday. In a year with so many games moving around (Miami declined to play in Chapel Hill, so that sweep was made impossible) and a schedule constantly under construction, it's remarkable to continue that stat.
10. Very few things better than when a Tar Heel reserve senior gets the start on senior day against Duke and makes a tone-setting play in the opening minutes. Such was the case for Walker Miller, who drew a charge on D.J. Steward on the game's first possession that helped propel Carolina to a fast start.
11. In a year when Carolina was very inconsistent, there was one thing you could count on with the Tar Heels: they were very tough at the Smith Center. The Tar Heels finished the year 10-1 at home, with only the defeat in the hastily scheduled game against Marquette as a blemish on the record. The difference in the home version of Carolina and the road version of the Heels was stark. UNC finished the regular season with a +2 combined scoring margin away from home, and +127 at home.
12. So ends one of the weirdest ACC regular seasons in memory. The Tar Heels are one of only three ACC teams with a winning record that also played 12 games against the top ten teams in the league standings (Clemson and Georgia Tech are the others). The Heels have also played the most away games (seven) against the top ten teams in the ACC standings.
13. It really shouldn't be this hard to figure out: Roy Williams doesn't like it when Smith Center fans chant "N-I-T" at an opponent. As he always does, the head coach was quick to wave off students when they tried to begin the chant in the second half.
14. Want some fun numbers to help you sleep well tonight? Carolina's 18-point win over Duke was tied for the biggest win over the Devils in the Williams era. Carolina's regular season sweep of Duke is the fourth such sweep in the Roy Williams era (along with 2007, 2009 and 2019).
15. Have to feel great for Sterling Manley. The big man got into the game for the closing seconds and slammed home a dunk and blocked a shot.
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