UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Bounces Back With Win

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

After last night’s loss against Texas, The Tar Heels came out playing poorly again in today’s game against UCLA.  In the first half, the Heels were outplayed on both ends of the floor as they struggled to guard the three-pointers, play defense without fouling, and execute on offense. Seniors Luke Maye, Kenny Williams, and Cameron Johnson all struggled mightily on the offensive end in the first half which caused UCLA to lead by five at halftime. In the second half, UNC bounced back and came out with urgency and energy on both ends of the floor led by seniors, Cameron Johnson, Luke Maye, and Kenny Williams, who scored 17 straight points during an important stretch in the second half. Freshmen, Coby White, Rechon Black, and Nassir Little, also made huge contributions to help take control of the game in the second half, which would help the Heels take the lead and finish the game winning by 16.

UNC Game Stats

1          2          T

#7 North Carolina    41        53        94

UCLA                             46        32        78

North Carolina    FG    3PT     FT      REB  AST    STL    TO       PF       PTS

1. Maye                      4-10    2-5     6-8      8          0        2          1          5          16
2. Brooks                  0-3      0-0     2-2      1          0          1          0          4          2
3. Johnson               6-13    2-4      0-0      7          1          1          1          1          14
4. Williams               5-8      2-4      3-3      4          6         0          1          1          15
5. White                    6-11    4-7      3-6       1          8          0          2         4          19
6. Little                      5-12    0-1      4-6      4          0          0          0         2          14
7. Huffman              0-0     0-0      0-0      1          0          0          0         0          0
8. Manley                 1-1      0-0       0-0      2          0          0          1          1          2
9. Robinson            1-2      0-1       0-0      2          4          2          0          0          2
10. K.J. Smith            1-1      0-0       3-3      0          0         0          0          0          5
11. Black                    2-3      1-1       0-0       1          2          0          0          3          5

TEAM            31-64  11-23  21-28   37        21          6          6         21        94

48.4% 47.8% 75.0%

UCLA            FG    3PT    FT     REB   AST    STL    TO       PF       PTS

1. Brown         3-6   0-0      1-2      4          0          0          1          5          7
2. Hill                1-2    0-0      0-2      3          1          1          1          0          2
3. Hands         5-17 3-8      1-4      2          9          1          4          2          14
4. Ali                 3-7   2-4      0-0      2          1          0          1          4          8
5. Wilkes        7-10 3-5      5-7      4          2          0          1          3          22
6. Riley            3-6   0-0      5-7     9          0          0         0          4          11
7. Smith         2-7    1-4      2-2      3          2          1          2          2          7
8. Singleton  1-1    1-1      0-0      0          0          1          0          0          3
9. Bernard    1-3   0-0      2-2      6          0          0          2          3          4

TEAM  26-59 10-22 16-26  37      15        4          13        23        78

44.1% 45.5% 61.5%

UNC Bright Spots

The freshmen continue to get better each game.

The Tar Heels cut down on their turnovers in this game.

Coby White had 19 points, 8 assists, and 1 rebound.

Luke Maye had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals.

Kenny Williams had 15 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds.

Cameron Johnson had 14 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal.

Nassir Little had 14 points and 4 rebounds. 

Needs Work

The Tar Heels need to continue working on stopping dribble penetration, guarding the 3 pointers, and playing defense without fouling. 

Final Observations

This was a good bounce-back win for the Tar Heels after a tough loss to Texas. The Tar Heels should learn from their mistakes these last two games and continue to get better as the season progresses as all the players are starting to thrive in their roles on this team. The freshmen are also getting better every game and should continue to be a huge boost for this team going forward.