Lucas: Elon Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Well, that season opener had a little bit of everything. But Carolina had a little too much for Elon, holding on for an 90-76 win.

2. Sometimes it's just nice to have the ACC Player of the Year on the team. Despite all the talk about new faces this year, once Elon took a 71-69 lead with 7:10 left, it was RJ Davis who hit a driving basket, then hit a three-pointer, then got the defensive rebound, and then later fed Jalen Washington for a dunk that made it an 11-0 run (and eventually turned into a 21-5 finish). Davis finished with a game-high 24 points and scored ten of them after Elon took the late lead.

3. Carolina went with a starting lineup of Davis, Elliot Cadeau, Seth Trimble, Jalen Washington and Jae'Lyn Withers. Those first four feel pretty secure--the fifth spot might see some fluctuation over the coming weeks and months. Down the stretch when the game was tight, the Heels went with Cade Tyson in Withers' place.

4. Withers was a big part of the first half surge, hitting a pair of three-pointers and grabbing six rebounds. The Tar Heels aren't going to be tall, we all understand that (they held just a three-board edge on the glass overall). But Withers makes them very athletic when he's on the court. If the perimeter shot can be reliable, he's a weapon. And the good news is that on nights--or game situations--he's off, there is other available depth to plug in. Even on a night that he wasn't great in the second half, Withers still had the game's only double-double with ten points and ten rebounds.

5. This isn't the 1997-98 Tar Heels just yet. But this is a really fun team to watch in transition. Carolina finished multiple lobs at the rim (and didn't finish a couple). When they play at the pace Hubert Davis wants, they're capable of putting up big offensive numbers. UNC had 18 fast break points.

6. And Davis doesn't mind reminding them about that pace. Midway through the first half, he vociferously encouraged his defense to get a little tighter on Elon. The results were three straight Phoenix turnovers and six straight UNC points in the paint that gave the Heels a larger lead they would not relinquish.

7. That being said, Carolina also missed on some transition opportunities. Some were a case of not, as Davis frequently reminds his team, making the easy play. Some were just missing shots that would ordinarily go in. That plus Elon's better second half shooting (they hit over 50 percent) combined to give the Phoenix the two-point lead late in the second half.

8. Cadeau quietly was extremely effective for most of the night. His eight assists were the primary part of Carolina's 22-assist night (on 32 made baskets). He also hit three of his four three-point attempts and was more active defensively than he was during his freshman season. He had three steals and two blocks. By the way, he also scored 17 points. Great night for the Tar Heel sophomore point guard.

9. Underrated halftime show on Monday night: Spyros Bros. It's hard to describe exactly what they were, but it was sort of elevated yo-yos. Whatever it was, the Smith Center crowd enjoyed it.

10. It doesn't seem possible, but Monday night marked the beginning of Carolina's 40th season playing in the Smith Center. The victory makes the Heels 478-87 overall in the building, and 229-18 against non-conference opponents.

11. Try to think back to March 29, 2019. That's the date Carolina lost to Auburn in Kansas City in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16. That's also the last time the Tar Heels played a game without Armando Bacot on the roster. It was weird not to see the big man, who made such an impact on Carolina basketball, in the Smith Center on Monday night.

12. Look, let's be honest: no one likes the 9 p.m. tipoffs and it's crazy that fans are still forced to deal with them. They're a relic from the days when there were zero streaming options and stations couldn't start a game until 7:00 because everyone watched the local news at 6 and national news at 6:30. Television dictating the season opener starts on a Monday night at 9 p.m. basically shouts right in the face of those who want to attend that no one really cares what they want. Monday's game was on the ACC Network. That station showed Notre Dame-Mercyhurst women's basketball at 5, followed by Duke-Maine at 7. Part of a conference having its own network should be the ability not to be beholden to game times that don't make sense. The Big Ten--which has the Big Ten Network--played games at 6, 8 and 10 p.m. Eastern (a West Coast game). There's no reason why that can't be the standard, or even move 30 minutes later and try 6:30 and 8:30.

13. With that in mind, rather than criticizing the fans who didn't show up, how about some credit for the 17,242 who did make it to the Smith Center even with an unfavorable day of the week, time and opponent? That's once again a reminder that Carolina Basketball is different, and can essentially just throw the doors open and draw 10,000 fans. That sometimes gets taken for granted, but it's decidedly out of the norm for a college basketball program. The student crowd, especially, was terrific, and the entire building made a difference late when it was close.

14. Carolina is now 103-12 in season opening games and has won 20 straight openers. The last loss in a season opener was in Oakland against Santa Clara at the beginning of the 2004-05 season (Raymond Felton didn't play, but the season sure turned out OK).

15. In the end, that's a very positive game for Hubert Davis, whose demeanor in the final minutes made it clear he wasn't pleased with his team's performance. Everyone who played did something positive...and everything who played can improve in big ways. There will be lots fo emphasize between now and Friday's game at Phog Allen Fieldhouse.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Elliot Cadeau

RJ Davis

Seth Trimble

Cade Tyson

Jalen Washington

Jae'Lyn Withers

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