Lucas: BC Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. In a stretch with three games in six days, they weren't always going to be masterpieces. Wednesday was the ugly one, as Carolina did just enough to beat Boston College, 58-47.

2. You might not have realized you were watching history: that's the first game in Carolina basketball history that the Tar Heels have won while shooting worse than 30 percent. The Heels made just 29.1 percent from the field, and it felt like it. It's the first such occasion in 3,143 games.

3. Thursday is an NCAA-mandated off day, but there's not much question what will be a point of emphasis at Friday's practice: stopping the dribble drive. The Eagles had great success driving against the Carolina defense, and piled up 30 points in the paint. With an athletic, aggressive NC State team coming to town on Saturday, that part of the defense has to improve.

4. It's clear that Armando Bacot's sore right hand is bothering him. Bacot has alternately tried to play with and without a wrap. Wednesday night, he began the game without it, but then athletic trainer Doug Halverson taped it up during the media timeout at the 11:59 mark. Bacot started wearing the wrap (although he took it off early in the first half) at Miami. Since then, he shot 6-for-9 at Coral Gables, 4-for-12 at Wake, and 7-for-19 against Virginia Tech. He finished 1-for-10 against BC after ditching the wrap in the second half, snapping his streak of double-doubles at ten. The big man did haul in a game-high 18 rebounds.

5. Getting to the free throw line has been an important part of Carolina's offense recently. The Tar Heels were able to get Caleb Love and RJ Davis to the line in the second half against Virginia Tech, and the Heels went 12-for-16 at the charity stripe in the first half against Boston College. That offset a first 20 minutes in which Boston College made six more field goals than Carolina (8-for-25), but the Eagles still trailed by two. The Heels finished 20-for-25 at the line, and that was clearly the best part of their offensive efficiency.

6. Boston College's struggled from the three-point line were a decisive part of the game. The Eagles finished 1-for-16 in a very close game. Had they been even marginally warm from the arc, it could have easily been a different story. Another positive: Carolina took care of the basketball, coughing up just eight turnovers.

7. Kudos to the students for their turnout on Wednesday night. The student section was full and noisy early.

8. There was a glimpse of the old Kerwin Walton in the first half. The sophomore shot his first free throws of the season, making all three, and also swished a three-pointer. He finished with those six points and two rebounds in 11 minutes.

9. Carolina played a second straight game without Dawson Garcia. That intensifies the spotlight on the reserves. Puff Johnson gave Carolina an energetic and active five minutes in the second half, wrestling away a rebound and converting a putback and grabbing two boards in five minutes.

10. With the ACC's move to quarter-zips, the NABC Suits and Sneakers program to promote cancer awareness needed a little adjustment. With that in mind, Carolina players wore black and green sneakers. Black represents skin cancer and green is for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

11. Huge game in the Smith Center on Saturday. Carolina needs to finish this week 3-0, and the Tar Heels will honor Roy Williams at the game. It should be an emotional, intense day in Chapel Hill.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

RJ Davis

Dawson Garcia

Puff Johnson

Caleb Love

Kerwin Walton

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