UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Keep the Wolfpack at Bay
by Derrick Clyburn
North Carolina State’s Torin Dorn, right, drives against North Carolina’s Luke Maye (32) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Ben McKeown)
The Tar Heels basketball team took control of the game from the opening tip with a 9-0 run and held their instate rivals at bay for the rest of the game. Every time that the Wolfpack would make a run North Carolina had an answer to stop that run. UNC should have won more handily but had 23 turnovers that kept NC State in the game. Many were careless and unforced. The Tar Heels had all five starters in double figures and three players had double doubles. Led by Luke Maye with 21 points and 11 rebounds.
UNC Game Stats
UNC Bright Spots
Luke Maye had 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Coby White had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Cameron Johnson had 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Kenny Williams had 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Garrison Brooks had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to keep the pressure on their opponent and not take their foot off of the gas when they have a big lead. UNC also needs to continue working on cutting down on their turnovers. They gave up 23 turnovers to the Wolfpack.
Final Observations
North Carolina is 2-0 in the ACC. Road wins don’t come easy. You win and move on. This game wasn’t pretty but they played hard. UNC played better defense tonight. They need to continue to improve on dribble penetration. Kenny Williams was more active tonight. The Tar Heels need him to be more consistent.