UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Pound Florida State at Home and Cruise to Victory

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team faced off against Florida State on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels got off to an outstanding start with an 18-0 run to start the game. The Heels were clicking on all cylinders offensively and their defense was excellent forcing Florida State to take bad shots and make costly mistakes that UNC was able to capitalize on.

The offensive execution was great throughout the game as they played unselfish basketball and got several offensive contributions from everyone that touched the floor. Carolina shot 74% from the field and 75% from three in the first half with 16 fast break points and 7 threes while holding Florida State to just 24 first-half points and 30% from the field. The Tar Heels scored 62 first-half points and led by as much as 39 before halftime.

In the second half, UNC led as much as 40, but Florida State did make a run in the second half as the Tar Heels took their foot off the gas a little and cut the lead to 20 points. However, the Heels controlled the game from start to finish, dominating the Seminoles in every aspect of the game. North Carolina had four players who had at least 16 points and played one of their better games of the season on both sides of the floor in route to their 20-point victory over Florida State

UNC Game Stats

1st     2nd     TOT

North Carolina 62      32      94

Florida State  24      50      74

North Carolina

STARTERS	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
A. Bacot F	28	7-9	0-0	3-5	4	10	14	1	0	1	2	2	17
B. Manek F	30	7-11	1-4	1-2	2	3	5	3	2	1	0	3	16
R.J. Davis G	28	7-13	2-6	0-1	0	4	4	5	1	2	1	3	16
C. Love G	29	6-12	6-8	0-0	1	2	3	6	2	1	4	2	18
L. Black G	26	2-2	0-0	1-1	1	2	3	5	1	0	1	0	5
BENCH	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
D. Farris F	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
J. McKoy F	7	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
R. McAdoo F	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
J. Watkins G	1	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
R. Landry G	1	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0
C. Lebo G	1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
P. Johnson G	11	2-4	1-2	0-0	1	2	3	1	1	0	0	0	5
D. Dunn G	4	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	0
D. Styles G	16	3-7	0-2	2-3	2	2	4	0	0	0	3	0	8
K. Walton G	16	3-6	2-4	1-1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	3	9
TEAM		37-67	12-28	8-13	13	27	40	22	7	5	16	16	94
		55.2%	42.9%	61.5%

Florida St.

STARTERS	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
J. Butler F	28	3-11	2-4	1-1	2	5	7	1	0	2	0	2	9
T. Ngom C	13	2-4	0-0	4-6	2	0	2	0	0	0	1	2	8
M. Cleveland G	27	4-9	1-1	4-6	1	0	1	0	2	1	0	1	13
R. Evans G	25	5-12	1-2	2-3	2	2	4	4	1	0	0	1	13
C. Mills G	7	0-1	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0
BENCH	MIN	FG	3PT	FT	OREB	DREB	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PF	PTS
H. Prieto F	23	1-3	1-2	0-0	1	2	3	1	0	0	1	3	3
Q. Ballard C	4	0-0	0-0	0-2	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0
J. Warley G	22	2-8	1-2	2-2	0	1	1	3	2	1	2	0	7
C. Fletcher G	28	7-14	2-5	0-0	3	7	10	1	4	0	5	4	16
W. Wilkes G	23	2-5	1-3	0-0	1	2	3	2	0	0	1	2	5
TEAM		26-67	9-19	13-20	15	19	34	12	9	4	13	15	74
		38.8%	47.4%	65.0%

UNC Bright Spots

Caleb Love had 18 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Armando Bacot had 17 points, 14 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block.

Brady Manek had 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block.

R.J. Davis had 16 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds 2 blocks, and 1 steal.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels need to do a better job of cutting down on their turnovers. They had 16 in this game.

Final Observations

The Tar Heels are now on 18-7 on the season and 10-4 in ACC play. The Heels needed a game like this after a couple of tough games. This game allowed them to get back to playing Carolina basketball and playing at the top of their game. The Tar Heels need to continue this momentum for the rest of the season as they continue to improve their resume for the NCAA tournament.

Dontrez Styles and Puff Johnson have gotten more playing time over the last few games and have excelled in their time on the court, which bodes well for this team as they bring a lot of good energy and toughness off the bench. We got the news this week that Dawson Garcia will not be returning to the team this season due to personal reasons so the guys off the bench will need to continue to produce and provide that spark off the bench for the Tar Heels. Next up is Pittsburgh on Wednesday at 8:00.