UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Throttles Louisville
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
North Carolina looked to continue to be unbeaten at home as they faced off against Louisville on Saturday night. The game started off back and forth and was tied 17-17 with just over 10 minutes left in the first half. The Tar Heels would then outscore Louisville 31-12 going into halftime. This run was led by the freshmen who scored the last 33 points of the first half for the Tar Heels. The Heels led 48-29 at halftime, which was the most points in the first half this season and their largest halftime lead this season.
In the second half, the Tar Heels continued to play extremely well on offense and defense. The Heels shot 60% from the floor and held Louisville to 32% for the game. UNC was very scrappy on defense, and this allowed them to get out in transition for easy baskets. Carolina had a season-high 29 assists, and their offensive execution was probably the best it has been all season. This was truly North Carolina basketball. The Tar Heels completely dominated the Cardinals in the paint with 58 points, which was more points than Louisville scored in the game. UNC finished the game with five players in double figures led by Day’Ron Sharpe with 21 points and 11 rebounds. This was easily their most dominant performance of the season with their 45-point victory.
UNC Game Stats
1 2 T North Carolina 48 51 99 Louisville 29 25 54 North Carolina Pts FG 3FG FT REB A TO Min +/- 1 BLACK 0 0-3 0-2 0-0 7 4 1 22 19 2 LOVE 9 4-8 1-4 0-0 2 3 4 27 24 5 BACOT 14 7-8 0-0 0-0 9 1 0 18 13 15 BROOKS 12 5-7 0-0 2-7 4 2 0 26 19 24 WALTON 19 7-10 5-7 0-0 2 4 3 24 28 0 HARRIS 6 2-3 0-0 2-2 0 3 0 11 13 3 PLATEK 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 3 5 0 15 27 4 DAVIS 6 2-5 2-4 0-0 0 3 1 18 24 11 SHARPE 21 10-14 0-0 1-5 11 1 1 17 26 13 KESSLER 10 4-6 0-0 2-4 4 3 1 12 28 25 LEBO 2 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 -2 30 SMITH 0 0-2 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 3 4 34 FARRIS 0 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 2 -2 35 MCADOO 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 3 4 TOTALS 99 42-69 8-18 7-18 45 29 11 200 60.9% 44.4% 38.9% Louisville Pts FG 3FG FT REB A TO Min /- 1 JONES 13 6-15 0-2 1-1 1 0 2 27 22 10 WILLIAMSON 9 4-14 1-4 0-0 10 2 4 30 35 13 JOHNSON 6 3-13 0-3 0-1 3 4 4 33 31 14 DAVIS 4 1-2 0-1 2-2 1 0 0 20 17 24 WITHERS 4 2-6 0-1 0-0 8 0 2 20 20 5 WILLIAMS 4 2-6 0-2 0-0 3 1 1 17 11 11 SLAZINSKI 6 2-4 0-2 2-2 2 0 1 19 28 12 TRAYNOR 6 2-3 0-0 2-4 3 0 0 14 21 21 MINLEND 0 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 12 23 23 WIZNITZER 2 0-2 0-0 2-2 1 0 1 8 17 TOTALS 54 22-67 1-16 9-12 34 8 16 200 32.8% 06.3% 75.0%
UNC Bright Spots
Dayron Sharpe had 21 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, and 1 assist.
Kerwin Walton had a career-high 19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Armando Bacot had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.
Garrison Brooks had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block.
Walker Kessler had a career-high 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to be much better at the free-throw line. They shot 38% from the line in this game. Totally unacceptable.
Final Observations
The North Carolina basketball team continues to be unbeaten at home and looks to be finally hitting their stride after their 45-point victory over Louisville. This was their most impressive win of the season and it helps improves their seeding for the NCAA tournament.
The Tar Heels have played two straight complete basketball games where they played exceptional on both ends of the floor. In these games, everyone has contributed in a positive way and we have just seen a glimpse of how good this Carolina team can really be. However, the Tar Heels can get even better.
Their free throw shooting still needs work, and the guards need to continue to show consistency in their play. If they improve in these areas, they can take their game to an even higher level and be a dangerous team in March. Next up is Marquette on Wednesday.