Lucas: UNCW Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Hubert Davis probably loved that game. He's spent the last month telling his top-ranked Tar Heels that they were going to have to compete every single night with a target on their back...and then UNC-Wilmington went out and proved it for him. Carolina won an ugly opener, 69-56.

2. The amazing thing wasn't that the margin was that close. The amazing thing was that the margin was that big with Carolina playing so poorly. The Tar Heels had four assists, four fast break points, shot below 50 percent from the field and a meager 20 percent from the three-point line, got outrebounded by a CAA team...and still won by 13. Everyone can relax: yes, Carolina has looked better than this (and shot better than this) in practice. This isn't a permanent referendum on the 2022-23 Heels.

3. The new pass-happy version of Caleb Love will take some getting used to. That was the case early in the second half, when Leaky Black saw Love going to the rim with the ball and likewise made a cut to the basket to be in rebounding position. But Love threw him a pass he wasn't expecting, which resulted in a turnover. That's the type of play that won't happen a month from now.

4. That was the back half of a sequence in which the Tar Heels committed a 10-second violation by being too casual against some light UNCW pressure. Hubert Davis then went straight to his bench for freshman Seth Trimble, who played 15 minutes, most of any reserve.

5. You think Hubert Davis is going to talk about rebounding in practice this week? The Seahawks had a 37-31 overall edge and a whopping 16-7 edge on the offensive glass (which led to a 14-7 edge in second chance points). Yes, there were more missed shots by the visitors and therefore more opportunities, but it's not a statistic that is going to make the head coach happy.

6. Reminder: despite how easy Armando Bacot made it look last spring, it's hard to get double-doubles. He was riding a streak of eight double-doubles in a row and was sitting on 49 for his career. But limited by fouls in the second half, he finished with 16 points and "only" nine rebounds, a game high for either side.

7. Seahawk coach Takayo Siddles comes from the Kevin Keatts coaching tree, so he's very familiar with Carolina. UNCW did a good job limiting the UNC offensive transition opportunities in the first half, holding the Heels without a fast break point. That was part of a somewhat disjointed first 20 minutes, including Carolina holding just a one-rebound advantage on the boards, collecting just one assist on nine field goals, and shooting 2-for-7 (28.6 percent) from the three-point line. And yet despite all that, the Tar Heels led by 11 at halftime.

8. A big part of that halftime advantage was some sticky UNC defense. In the first half, they limited the visitors to 36 percent from the field, 20 percent from the three-point line, and forced eight turnovers. The Tar Heels have a chance to be a very good defensive team.

9. One of Carolina's best weapons on the way to the Final Four last year was free throw shooting. The Tar Heels are still proficient in that area; they hit 23 of 30 on Monday night. It's a significant advantage to have two ball-handling guards like Caleb Love (4-5) and RJ Davis (4-4) who are so good at the line.

10. Interesting wrinkle with the Tar Heels showing three guards in the final minute of the first half. That combination, including Love, Davis and Seth Trimble, forced a UNCW turnover and then essentially held them without a shot at the end of the half. That may not be Carolina's best five, but it is a look they have shown on occasion during the preseason and is something they could use when the circumstances dictate.

11. Carolina played without Puff Johnson, still working his way back from an injury.

12. There was a tweak made to the way student tickets are being distributed this season. Early returns after one home game: very positive. Students were in their seats, even in the upper level, over an hour before the game. The environment was noticeably better because of the noise they brought.

13. Great to see Luuuuuuuuuke Maye at the Smith Center on Monday night. Maye is currently playing in Spain. Given a couple days off, his choice was clear: come back to Chapel Hill. As he put it, "I wanted to make sure I saw at least one of my brothers play." Beau Maye is in his first year with the Tar Heel basketball squad; Drake Maye, as you might have heard, is having a very successful year as the Carolina football quarterback.

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