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University of North Carolina Athletics
Jae'Lyn Withers
Photo by: Maggie Hobson
Lucas: Kentucky Rapid Reactions
December 16, 2023 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from the matchup with Kentucky.
By Adam Lucas
1. That was a great game that was well-played in the second half after a frenetic first half. It didn't end the right way, though, as Kentucky took an 87-83 win.
2. And then the game's final seconds were difficult, as the Tar Heels just had an incredible error on the final meaningful offensive possession, as Elliot Cadeau and Cormac Ryan miscommunicated. With Kentucky choosing not to foul up three, it looked like the Heels would get a shot to tie. But Cadeau threw the ball off Ryan, which led to a backcourt violation and a free throw that iced the game for UK.
3. There's not much else you can say about the incredible scoring run RJ Davis is on. The senior poured in another 27 points, with 14 of those coming in the final eight minutes of the game. He'll go home thinking, though, about a missed free throw with 1:10 left that would've cut it to one. Davis had made 41 straight free throws at that point, tying the school record held by Jeff Lebo. Carolina was nowhere close to being in that game without Davis' performance in the second half.
4. Despite a play that will frustrate him on the final trip, Ryan was a difference-maker. He had gone 0-for-6 from three-point range against UConn, but hit a couple trifectas in the first half and finished with 20 points.
5. Turnovers short-circuited Carolina's offense for much of the first half, as the Tar Heels committed 11 in the first 20 minutes. But once they got a better handle on the ball--they had just one turnover in the final 4:15 of the half--they began to play more effectively, and cut eight points off the deficit in that stretch and trailed by only two at the break after a half which the Wildcats attempted ten more field goals than Carolina. The Heels did take better care of the ball in the second half and finished with 17 turnovers, which John Calipari's team converted into 19 points.
6. A big part of that shot deficit was Kentucky's dominance on the offensive glass. The Wildcats dominated the boards (42-32 overall and 18-6 on the offensive glass) and went through the middle stretch of the game when they had an 8-1 edge in offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds were also a key part of the final two minutes, as Kentucky picked up four second chance points during that stretch. One of those opportunities was frustrating, as Ryan and Jae'Lyn Withers just knocked an easy board away from each other with under a minute to play. Not surprisingly, UK had a 15-6 edge in second chance points.
7. Kentucky had a noticeable height and length advantage at most every position; that left freshman Elliot Cadeau largely ineffective as UK continually tried to get the UNC guards in switches. Cadeau was hampered by fouls--some because of those switches--and the Tar Heels used Withers more often in the second half. The Cats used that length to block nine shots.
8. Two Tar Heel reserves were a big part of Carolina's surge at the end of the first half. Jae'Lyn Withers had a couple big blocked shots to push Kentucky to an 0-6 stretch, and Seth Trimble's defense on Reed Sheppard forced him into a couple misses and eliminated one of the Wildcats' main offensive weapons. Give Jalen Washington credit, too, for stepping up and making both ends of a one-and-one with seven minutes left in a one possession games. Withers was a team-high +12 overall and Trimble had the second-highest figure at +9. Overall, though, the Wildcat bench was more productive than Carolina's--the Cats had a big 36-14 edge in bench points.
9. That was part of a pulsating first half that saw John Calipari receive a technical foul, Hubert Davis get as heated as any time during his Tar Heel coaching career, both teams believing the officiating crew of Kelly Pfeifer, Courtney Green and Patrick Evans had egregiously missed calls, and a 5-on-4 UK fast break stopped for a Harrison Ingram injury in the backcourt. The Calipari technical was quietly a big play; his Wildcats had the ball after a missed Tar Heel jumper, but Carolina proceeded to outscore UK 11-3 after the technical.
10. Saturday marked the fifth time Carolina and Kentucky have faced each other in the 10-year history of the CBS Sports Classic, and it very clearly is the marquee matchup that gets fans excited. Before the lengthy UCLA-Ohio State game ever ended, there was already a hearty "Tar-Heels!" chant bouncing back and forth across State Farm Arena. The Wildcats always travel very well for this event; the Tar Heels had pretty much a 50-50 split in the locale UK fans like to call "Catlanta."
11. As you would expect for a marquee game, numerous former Tar Heels were in attendance in Atlanta. That included Ed Cota and Charles Scott, plus Pete Chilcutt on the Tar Heel Sports Network call and several others.
12. In an event sponsored by a television network, you'd think there might be some in-arena replays shown. The crowd who bought tickets had basically zero idea of what happened on any of the plays that were reviewed. Two plays it would be interesting to see replayed: Rob Dillingham's tendency to go over the line while shooting free throws, including a huge one with seconds remaining, and a foul that appeared to be Aaron Bradshaw's fifth that was instead assigned to someone else. Bradshaw being in the game at the end was decisive. Every single game has those plays and Kentucky surely has some they'd like to see again, also. Those are the ones Carolina will think about.
13. Wednesday's game against Oklahoma in Charlotte now becomes a big one. The Sooners are undefeated and the Tar Heels need a win behind what should be a friendly Charlotte crowd.
1. That was a great game that was well-played in the second half after a frenetic first half. It didn't end the right way, though, as Kentucky took an 87-83 win.
2. And then the game's final seconds were difficult, as the Tar Heels just had an incredible error on the final meaningful offensive possession, as Elliot Cadeau and Cormac Ryan miscommunicated. With Kentucky choosing not to foul up three, it looked like the Heels would get a shot to tie. But Cadeau threw the ball off Ryan, which led to a backcourt violation and a free throw that iced the game for UK.
3. There's not much else you can say about the incredible scoring run RJ Davis is on. The senior poured in another 27 points, with 14 of those coming in the final eight minutes of the game. He'll go home thinking, though, about a missed free throw with 1:10 left that would've cut it to one. Davis had made 41 straight free throws at that point, tying the school record held by Jeff Lebo. Carolina was nowhere close to being in that game without Davis' performance in the second half.
4. Despite a play that will frustrate him on the final trip, Ryan was a difference-maker. He had gone 0-for-6 from three-point range against UConn, but hit a couple trifectas in the first half and finished with 20 points.
5. Turnovers short-circuited Carolina's offense for much of the first half, as the Tar Heels committed 11 in the first 20 minutes. But once they got a better handle on the ball--they had just one turnover in the final 4:15 of the half--they began to play more effectively, and cut eight points off the deficit in that stretch and trailed by only two at the break after a half which the Wildcats attempted ten more field goals than Carolina. The Heels did take better care of the ball in the second half and finished with 17 turnovers, which John Calipari's team converted into 19 points.
6. A big part of that shot deficit was Kentucky's dominance on the offensive glass. The Wildcats dominated the boards (42-32 overall and 18-6 on the offensive glass) and went through the middle stretch of the game when they had an 8-1 edge in offensive rebounds. Offensive rebounds were also a key part of the final two minutes, as Kentucky picked up four second chance points during that stretch. One of those opportunities was frustrating, as Ryan and Jae'Lyn Withers just knocked an easy board away from each other with under a minute to play. Not surprisingly, UK had a 15-6 edge in second chance points.
7. Kentucky had a noticeable height and length advantage at most every position; that left freshman Elliot Cadeau largely ineffective as UK continually tried to get the UNC guards in switches. Cadeau was hampered by fouls--some because of those switches--and the Tar Heels used Withers more often in the second half. The Cats used that length to block nine shots.
8. Two Tar Heel reserves were a big part of Carolina's surge at the end of the first half. Jae'Lyn Withers had a couple big blocked shots to push Kentucky to an 0-6 stretch, and Seth Trimble's defense on Reed Sheppard forced him into a couple misses and eliminated one of the Wildcats' main offensive weapons. Give Jalen Washington credit, too, for stepping up and making both ends of a one-and-one with seven minutes left in a one possession games. Withers was a team-high +12 overall and Trimble had the second-highest figure at +9. Overall, though, the Wildcat bench was more productive than Carolina's--the Cats had a big 36-14 edge in bench points.
9. That was part of a pulsating first half that saw John Calipari receive a technical foul, Hubert Davis get as heated as any time during his Tar Heel coaching career, both teams believing the officiating crew of Kelly Pfeifer, Courtney Green and Patrick Evans had egregiously missed calls, and a 5-on-4 UK fast break stopped for a Harrison Ingram injury in the backcourt. The Calipari technical was quietly a big play; his Wildcats had the ball after a missed Tar Heel jumper, but Carolina proceeded to outscore UK 11-3 after the technical.
10. Saturday marked the fifth time Carolina and Kentucky have faced each other in the 10-year history of the CBS Sports Classic, and it very clearly is the marquee matchup that gets fans excited. Before the lengthy UCLA-Ohio State game ever ended, there was already a hearty "Tar-Heels!" chant bouncing back and forth across State Farm Arena. The Wildcats always travel very well for this event; the Tar Heels had pretty much a 50-50 split in the locale UK fans like to call "Catlanta."
11. As you would expect for a marquee game, numerous former Tar Heels were in attendance in Atlanta. That included Ed Cota and Charles Scott, plus Pete Chilcutt on the Tar Heel Sports Network call and several others.
12. In an event sponsored by a television network, you'd think there might be some in-arena replays shown. The crowd who bought tickets had basically zero idea of what happened on any of the plays that were reviewed. Two plays it would be interesting to see replayed: Rob Dillingham's tendency to go over the line while shooting free throws, including a huge one with seconds remaining, and a foul that appeared to be Aaron Bradshaw's fifth that was instead assigned to someone else. Bradshaw being in the game at the end was decisive. Every single game has those plays and Kentucky surely has some they'd like to see again, also. Those are the ones Carolina will think about.
13. Wednesday's game against Oklahoma in Charlotte now becomes a big one. The Sooners are undefeated and the Tar Heels need a win behind what should be a friendly Charlotte crowd.
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