Lucas: NC State Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Intense, tough, good win for Carolina in the 80-69 win over NC State.

2. Certainly hoping for the best for Terquavion Smith, who left with what appeared to be a very painful injury after falling awkwardly following a Leaky Black foul.

3. What a day for Armando Bacot, who set a pair of school records. He now owns the career record for double-doubles, eclipsing a mark held by Billy Cunningham for the last 60 years. The ACC and NCAA record, in case you're curious, is Tim Duncan with 87. He also set the school's all-time rebounding record and was honored after the game, with former record-holder Tyler Hansbrough in attendance. Bacot finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds.

4. It's been that kind of stretch for RJ Davis. He banked in a long three-pointer with the shot clock expiring in the first half on his way to 16 points in the first period and finished with 24 on just eight shots. He went 14-14 from the free throw line.

5. Carolina was helped by the return of Jalen Washington on Saturday, who had missed the Boston College game with an ankle injury. But the personnel continues to be a revolving door, as Puff Johnson missed the game with a sore knee. The Tar Heels have had their full roster available for exactly one Atlantic Coast Conference game this season, with absences in various games from Armando Bacot (VT and UVA), D'Marco Dunn (VT and GT), Pete Nance (Wake, Notre Dame, UVA and Louisville) and Washington (Boston College). Of course, Will Shaver is also out for a longer time period with a foot injury.

6. The Tar Heels didn't get the production from the bench that they needed. Four different reserves saw action in the first half and went 0-for-6 from the field with zero rebounds, one assist and two turnovers. Even with Dunn playing extended minutes due to the officiating crew ejecting Black, the bench still managed just one point and did not have a rebound.

7. Carolina needs the more engaged version of Caleb Love than what they got in the first half. Love's only entries in the box score were his shots, where he went 1-for-5. Other than that, he had zero entries in the box score--no assists, no rebounds, no personal fouls and no fouls drawn. The second half was better, as he almost had a steal in the opening minutes and finished with five rebounds and an assist to go with his 16 points (including 9-for-10 from the line).

8. In one of the very few games you will see this season with two true big guys going at it in the paint, Carolina was at a decided defensive disadvantage when Bacot went out with two fouls with 3:49 left in the first half. DJ Burns immediately posted up Jalen Washington and scored on him. The Tar Heels then switched Pete Nance to Burns and tried doubling him, but twice in a row the Wolfpack found Casey Morsell with good ball movement for open three-pointers. That sequence helped keep it close at halftime, as the Tar Heels had a one-point advantage at the break (but lost just two points off their lead after Bacot left the game).

9. That was quietly a very well-coached game from Hubert Davis. Several very small plays were important. For example, when State's Burns went out with four fouls early in the second half, Davis immediately subbed Jalen Washington for Bacot just to get the Tar Heel big man a little rest, even though it wasn't his normal time to rotate out. Davis also drew up a brilliant inbounds play with 0.6 seconds on the shot clock late in the game, but Caleb Love couldn't convert the dunk (fitting, with the 1993 team in attendance, since there were shades of the 93 Heels against Cincinnati on that play).

10. Carolina finished with just five assists on 20 field goals, a number that has been declining recently. The Heels came into the game with assists on just 39.2% of the baskets in the last three games. The Heels did most of their offensive work at the free throw line, where they went a sparkling 36-39. In addition to Davis, Love was 9-for-10 and Bacot hit 7-for-7.

11. Carolina is now 36-5 against State in the last 41 games and an incredible 53-12 against the Pack over the last 30+ seasons.

12. Carolina's 1993 national champions were honored at halftime. Virtually all the members of the roster who are not involved in college basketball (a group that includes Derrick Phelps, Brian Reese and Scott Cherry) were on hand. George Lynch voiced the in-arena pregame video that was a salute both to the '93 team and to this year's squad. Other lettermen in attendance included Ed Cota, Marcus Ginyard, Mitch Kupchak, Buzz Peterson and Tyler Hansbrough.

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Leaky Black

RJ Davis

D'Marco Dunn

Puff Johnson

Caleb Love

Pete Nance

Will Shaver

Jalen Washington

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