UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Blow Out the Wolfpack on Ceremonial Saturday
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team looked to remain unbeaten at home against their in-state rival NC State on Saturday afternoon. After shooting just 29% from the field in the last game against Boston College, The Tar Heels came out and bounced back in this game in an impressive fashion. The Heels came out firing on all cylinders on offense in the first half. It was their best offensive half of the season.
UNC had 56 first-half points on 62% from the field, 14 fast breakpoints, and they made 10 out of 15 threes. Carolina was also excellent on the defensive end of the floor, holding NC State to just 30% from the field in the first half. Their defensive pressure and use of quick traps at half court were key in their first-half defensive success against the Wolfpack and the Heels led by 25 points at halftime.
In the second half, the Tar Heels continued their hot shooting from the floor and extended their lead to as much as 35, which was the largest margin Carolina has led by this season. UNC continued to disrupt the Wolfpack’s offensive attack and just made them uncomfortable all game long.
Their defense led to their 24 fast breakpoints, which is the most they’ve had all season long. The Heels finished the game with 15 threes while shooting 54% from the field as four Tar Heels scored in double figures. These players included Caleb Love, Armando Bacot, Brady Manek, and RJ Davis, and Carolina scored 100 for the first time this season. The Tar Heels dominated NC State in all facets of this game and it led to their 100-80 win over their in-state rival.
UNC Game Stats
1st 2nd TOT
North Carolina 56 44 100
NC State 31 49 80
North Carolina
| STARTERS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||||||||
| A. Bacot F | 28 | 5-10 | 0-1 | 8-10 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 18 | ||||||||
| B. Manek F | 27 | 6-8 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | ||||||||
| R.J. Davis G | 28 | 6-8 | 3-4 | 2-4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 17 | ||||||||
| C. Love G | 28 | 6-16 | 4-6 | 5-5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | ||||||||
| L. Black G | 36 | 2-4 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 | ||||||||
| BENCH | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | ||||||||
| D. Farris F | 1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||||||||
| J. McKoy F | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||||||||
| R. McAdoo F | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| J. Watkins G | 1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||
| R. Landry G | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| C. Lebo G | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| P. Johnson G | 17 | 3-5 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||||||||
| D. Dunn G | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||
| D. Styles G | 6 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
| K. Walton G | 19 | 2-5 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | ||||||||
| TEAM | 34-62 | 15-27 | 17-24 | 10 | 29 | 39 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 12 | 17 | 100 | |||||||||
| 54.8% | 55.6% | 70.8% | |||||||||||||||||||
NC State
| STARTERS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| E. Dowuona F | 15 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| J. Hellems F | 39 | 9-17 | 5-9 | 2-2 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 25 |
| T. Smith G | 34 | 10-21 | 3-9 | 11-13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 34 |
| D. Seabron G | 23 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| C. Morsell G | 23 | 3-6 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| BENCH | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| J. Gibson F | 15 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| A. Nunnally G | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Hayes G | 20 | 0-6 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| B. Pass G | 11 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| C. Graham G | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| T. Allen G | 18 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| TEAM | 26-67 | 10-25 | 18-21 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 17 | 80 | |
| 38.8% | 40.0% | 85.7% |
UNC Bright Spots
Caleb Love had 21 points, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
Armando Bacot had 18 points, 13 rebounds, 6 blocks, and 1 steal.
Brady Manek had 17 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.
RJ Davis had 17 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels’ on-ball defense still needs to improve especially guarding against the three-point line and against dribble penetration. Their communication on the court calling out screens and with switching needs to improve as well.
The players off the bench need to play better and show Coach Davis they can contribute positively on the court. For most of the game, the Heels only played 7 players, which can take a toll on those players logging so many minutes.
Final Observations
The Tar Heel stay unbeaten at home and are now 15-6 on the season, 7-3 in the ACC. The Heels showed how good this team can be when they are clicking on all cylinders on both ends of the floor. Offensively, if they can continue to move the ball as well as they did today more consistently each game, they can become one of the best offensive teams in the country.
Carolina won all their games this week at home, but if they want to take the next step as a team, they will need to bring this type of play on the road. That will be the key to their ultimate success going forward, and it will show the maturation of this team if they can play that way more consistently in road games.
Coach Davis and the coaching staff need to make sure they are doing everything possible to continue to try to increase the bench players’ confidence on the court because they will be needed down the stretch of the season. Next up is Louisville on Tuesday at 8:00 P.M.