UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Get On The Winning Side In Las Vegas
by Derrick Clyburn
North Carolina’s Garrison Brooks (15) dunks against UCLA during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Dec. 21, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
The Tar Heels basketball team traveled to Las Vegas to finish a grueling December schedule and came out with a victory over UCLA. This win stops a 4 game losing streak and everyone in Tar Heels Nation can enjoy a Merry Christmas.
UNC now has a 10-3 record all-time against the Bruins thanks to two unlikely freshmen developing before our eyes Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris. They came off the bench to lead North Carolina to victory with 12 points and 14 points respectively.
UNC Game Stats
1 2 T
North Carolina 36 38 74
UCLA 23 41 64
North Carolina
Pts FG 3FG FT REB A TO Min +/-
1 BLACK 4 2-5 0-1 0-0 3 1 4 22 1
4 ROBINSON 12 3-10 3-9 3-6 3 2 2 33 16
5 BACOT 15 5-7 0-0 5-10 12 1 2 32 11
15 BROOKS 12 5-11 0-0 2-6 9 1 2 36 13
30 SMITH 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 9 -8
0 HARRIS 14 5-7 2-3 2-2 1 1 0 17 15
3 PLATEK 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 0 0 4 -3
11 RUSH 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 -3
13 FRANCIS 12 1-8 1-2 9-10 2 4 4 28 15
22 MILLER 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 -3
25 ELLIS 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 -3
32 PIERCE 3 1-3 0-1 1-1 2 1 0 10 -1
34 O’HAN 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 -3
55 KEELING 2 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 1 3 8 3
TOTALS 74 23-55 6-18 22-35 37 12 17 200
UCLA
Pts FG 3FG FT REB A TO Min +/-
2 RILEY 4 1-2 0-0 2-2 7 1 1 18 4
4 JAQUEZ JR. 14 5-14 1-5 3-6 10 2 5 33 -6
10 CAMPBELL 10 4-9 0-2 2-2 3 5 3 28 -13
23 ALI 4 2-7 0-3 0-2 3 0 0 23 -12
24 HILL 4 2-3 0-0 0-1 7 0 2 23 -5
0 OLESINSKI 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 1 8 -6
3 BERNARD 16 6-10 2-5 2-3 2 1 3 18 -5
5 SMITH 12 5-8 1-2 1-2 3 1 6 26 -11
13 KYMAN 0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 4
22 O’NEAL 0 0-3 0-1 0-0 4 0 0 9 -2
34 SINGLETON 0 0-2 0-2 0-0 2 1 1 13 2
TOTALS 64 25-59 4-21 10-18 42 11 23 200
UNC Bright Spots
Armando Bacot had 15 points, 12 rebounds and 1 assist.
Anthony Harris had career-high 14 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist.
Jeremiah Francis had 12 points, 2 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Brandon Robinson had 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Garrison Brooks had 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to do a better job keeping the flow of offense going consistently. They went the first 4:15 of the second half without a point.
They must take better care of the ball and have a better shot selection by moving the ball to the open man.
Final Observations
I saw something special out the two freshmen coming off knee injuries in the Virginia game. They play with energy and are fearless on the court. Francis and Harris are giving North Carolina the boost that they need while Cole Anthony recovers.
The offense flows better and Francis has settled into the confident point guard that UNC needs until Anthony gets back. Which will make the backcourt that much deeper in their rotation.
UNC has played better and the ball moves better now that they have come to the reality that Cole Anthony will be out for the next 4-6 weeks. North Carolina can build from this win and get ready for the ACC gauntlet.