UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. ETSU 77-58 Win
UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Knocks Out Scrappy East Tennessee State in Another Tune-Up Victory
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team faced off against East Tennessee State on Tuesday night. Both teams got to a hot shooting start, and the game was tied 9-9 at the first media timeout. East Tennessee State played a unique style of play where they milked the clock on every possession, practically using all 35 seconds of the shot clock before taking their shot. It took a while for the Heels to adjust to what East Tennessee was doing because it slowed the game down and didn’t allow for many fast-break or transition opportunities, where North Carolina thrives. There were possessions where Carolina would defend well for 30 seconds but fall asleep for a split second, and it would lead to a back-door cut to the basket or a wide-open three because of a late rotation.
Defending for that long on each possession can be exhausting as well, and Carolina had to stay locked in and focused to ensure consecutive stops. The game was close for the majority of the first half, before North Carolina started to pick up their ball pressure full court and then proceeded to trap at halfcourt, forcing steals and shot-clock violations. This would lead to the Tar Heels being able to get out in transition for easy baskets, and the Heels scored 5 points in the final minute before halftime to extend their lead to 8. Carolina was very efficient offensively, shooting 64% from the field and had 12 assists on 14 made baskets, but the possessions were limited because of the time East Tennessee took on their offensive possessions.
In the second half, the Tar Heels played with much more energy and at a much faster pace than in the first half. UNC went on a 7-0 run coming out of halftime and it opened the game up for them. The Heels continued to move the ball well offensively, and the ball found the open man for the best shot available on almost every possession. Henri Veesaar was heavily involved in Carolina’s offense in the second half, scoring 13 second-half points and was a nightmare matchup for East Tennessee, getting whatever shot he wanted around the basket or on the perimeter.
UNC picked up their intensity and ball pressure defensively, speeding up the Buccaneers, and forced East Tennessee into tougher shots than they saw in the first half, which allowed them to hold the Buccaneers to just 28 second half points and 38% from the field. North Carolina was dominant in the paint and outscored the Buccaneers 36-22 in that category. Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson carried the offensive load with 26 points and 20 points, respectively, and at one point in the game had more points combined than the entire East Tennessee team. The Tar Heels shot 54% from the field, had 18 assists on their 27 field goals, and led by as much as 27 in the game. After a tough first half, UNC would cruise to victory in the second half and record its tenth win of the season.
UNC Stats
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| ETSU 8-4 | 30 | 28 | 58 |
| 12 N. Carolina 10-1 | 38 | 39 | 77 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| H. Veesaar | 26 | 8 | 2 | 10/11 | 2/3 | 4/4 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| C. Wilson | 20 | 8 | 2 | 6/12 | 1/2 | 7/10 | 2 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| K. Evans | 6 | 3 | 6 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 0/0 | 0 | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Stevenson | 6 | 2 | 4 | 3/5 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 3 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| L. Bogavac | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1/2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 3 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| D. Dixon | 7 | 3 | 1 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 4/4 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Powell | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2/8 | 1/6 | 0/0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Young | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Brown | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/5 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Z. High | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| I. Denis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| I. Matlekovic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E. Davis | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Holbrook | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| E. Smith | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 77 | 35 | 18 | 27/50 | 8/25 | 15/23 | 15 | – | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| B. Taylor II | 14 | 5 | 3 | 4/13 | 1/5 | 5/5 | 2 | 40 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Barkley | 11 | 2 | 1 | 4/8 | 0/2 | 3/5 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. McCullum | 9 | 7 | 1 | 4/6 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Morris III | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2/11 | 0/3 | 3/6 | 3 | 29 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| A. Strothers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| J. Smith | 8 | 1 | 1 | 3/5 | 2/4 | 0/0 | 3 | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| M. Johnson | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 0/0 | 2 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| I. Sutherland | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Matthews III | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| G. Sisk | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| B. Crump | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| F. Whitaker Jr. | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| H. Sisemore | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| M. Huff | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Carter | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 58 | 21 | 11 | 20/52 | 7/23 | 11/16 | 19 | – | 4 | 2 | 6 |
UNC Bright Spots
Henri Veesaar had 26 points,8rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.
Caleb Wilson had 20 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
Needs Work
The Heels must be better at the free-throw line. Shooting 65% at the free-throw line is unacceptable with all the good shooters they have on the team.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels improve to 10-1 on the season, 8-0 at home. Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesar continue to show why they are one of the best frontcourts in the country. One of them has led the Tar Heels in scoring and rebounding in 10 of their 11 games this year. UNC has also stepped up its play defensively, using its size, length, and athleticism to its advantage, and for the third straight game has held its opponent to under 40% from the field. Seth Trimble missed his eighth straight game today, but has engaged in 5-on-5 play in practice over the last couple of days, so his anticipated return is near. This bodes well for the Tar Heels as they get ready for conference play, and we can finally see how good this team can become at full strength. Next up is Ohio State Saturday at 3 pm in the CBS Classic in Atlanta, GA.