UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Pound the Panthers Inside

by Derrick Clyburn

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The Tar Heels basketball team is starting to hit their stride. They haven’t played their best game yet but you can see the confidence and the better execution that has been displayed. North Carolina dominated the paint tonight. The big men played big and caused a lot of problems for Pittsburgh.

The UNC big men were 19-26 from the field. Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks led they way with 21 points and 16 points respectively. They beat a hot Pittsburgh team on the road and won the rebounding with a 37-29 edge.

UNC Game Stats

1	2	T
North Carolina	34	41	75
Pittsburgh	27	38	65

North Carolina
		Pts	FG	3FG	FT	REB	A	TO	Min	+/-
1 BLACK		5	2-5	0-1	1-2	6	2	1	31	4
2 LOVE		8	3-10	1-5	1-4	2	5	1	26	-1
5 BACOT		21	8-10	0-1	5-6	10	2	2	31	-1
15 BROOKS	16	8-11	0-0	0-0	6	2	3	32	10
24 WALTON	10	4-8	2-5	0-0	0	2	1	26	6
0 HARRIS	2	1-2	0-1	0-0	0	1	0	7	7
3 PLATEK	2	1-3	0-1	0-0	3	1	0	9	6
4 DAVIS		5	2-7	1-3	0-0	0	3	2	21	8
11 SHARPE	6	3-5	0-0	0-2	7	4	1	16	11
13 KESSLER	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	1	0
TOTALS		75	32-61	4-17	7-14	37	22	13	200	
			52.5%	23.5%	50.0%

Pittsburgh
		Pts	FG	3FG	FT	REB	A	TO	Min	/-
0 HORTON	12	4-11	2-5	2-2	4	2	1	34	-6
1 JOHNSON	7	2-8	0-1	3-4	1	7	4	36	-7
5 TONEY		8	3-10	0-3	2-2	2	3	1	33	13
11 CHAMPAGNIE	23	7-9	4-5	5-6	10	2	1	35	14
12 COULIBALY	7	3-7	0-0	1-2	5	2	2	30	1
2 ODUKALE	6	3-5	0-0	0-1	1	1	1	11	4
21 BROWN	2	1-4	0-0	0-0	1	0	1	12	-6
22 SIBANDE	0	0-1	0-1	0-0	0	0	0	7	-4
35 AMADASUN	0	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0	2	-5
TOTALS		65	23-55	6-15	13-17	29	17	11	200	
			41.8%	40.0%	76.5%

UNC Bright Spots

Armando Bacot had 21 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and 4 blocks.

Garrison Brooks had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Kerwin Walton had 10 points and 2 assists.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels have to limit the dribble penetration and the backdoor pass. They also need to defend the 3-point shot more effectively. North Carolina has to keep the peddle to the metal and deliver the knockout blow when they have a lead. They also need to hit their free throws. They were 50% for the game.

Final Observations

North Carolina is playing much better more confident basketball. They just have to learn how to put teams away better. The Tar Heels had a 16 point lead and allowed the Panthers to cut it to 5 points.

Garrison Brooks stepped up tonight and they need him to play his game to make more separation from their opponents. The big men played dominant basketball on both ends of the court. They blocked 7 shots and deflected several entry passes. Armando Bacot has been the most consistent player for UNC this season and play exceptional tonight.

This was a great win for the Tar Heels. The Panthers have been playing well and have the current ACC leading scorer and rebounder in Justin Champagnie, but North Carolina took care of business. The Tar Heels have won six of their last seven games and they are gaining momentum as they continue to develop their identity.