UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. Wagner 90-62 Win
UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Pounds Wagner with Their Size and Cruises to a 1st Round NCAA Victory
by Derrick Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team faced off against Wagner in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC. The game started off with a steady diet of Armando Bacot feasting in the paint for easy baskets over the smaller Seahawks which led to an 8-2 run. Then Wagner began to relax and get back into the game due to a couple of unforced turnovers by the Tar Heels. Both teams would continue to trade baskets for several possessions, and then Jae’Lyn Withers would introduce himself to the Seahawks with very active energy and aggression on both ends of the floor off the bench.
Jae’Lyn Withers’s infusion of energy off the bench helped North Carolina build a 10-12-point lead and get some breathing room over the Seahawks who were playing scrappy basketball and hitting tough shots. The Tar Heel bigs just were too much for the smaller Seahawks. They seemed to be playing volleyball getting second and third chances at offensive rebounds and putbacks. Armando had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds and UNC would go into halftime up 40-28.
In the second half, North Carolina would begin to extend their lead by hitting 3-point shots while continuing to pound the ball inside. The Tar Heels would hit six 3-pointers in the second half led by RJ Davis who made 3 trifectas. RJ Davis picked up his offense scoring 17 second-half points which allowed the Heels to cruise to a 90-62 win. Armando Bacot and Jae’Lyn Withers would finish with 20 and 16 respectively.
UNC Game Stats
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| 16 Wagner 17-16 | 28 | 34 | 62 |
| 1 North Carolina 28-7 | 40 | 50 | 90 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| R. Davis | 22 | 2 | 2 | 8/13 | 4/7 | 2/2 | 2 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Bacot | 20 | 15 | 1 | 7/13 | 0/0 | 6/7 | 2 | 30 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| C. Ryan | 13 | 0 | 1 | 5/11 | 2/6 | 1/1 | 3 | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| H. Ingram | 9 | 5 | 1 | 4/7 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| E. Cadeau | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| J. Withers | 16 | 10 | 3 | 5/7 | 0/0 | 6/9 | 1 | 21 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Trimble | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2/3 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| P. Wojcik | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| R. Landry | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Farris | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Okonkwo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Washington | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Z. High | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| C. Lebo | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 90 | 41 | 14 | 33/60 | 9/18 | 15/19 | 13 | – | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| J. Brown | 18 | 0 | 4 | 6/10 | 4/8 | 2/2 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| M. Council Jr. | 18 | 4 | 1 | 6/20 | 1/3 | 5/8 | 0 | 40 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| K. Lewis | 13 | 4 | 0 | 6/8 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 4 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Ezquerra | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2/7 | 1/3 | 0/2 | 1 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| T. Allen | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1/4 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| T. Kelton | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1/5 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Zongo | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/4 | 0/1 | 1/1 | 3 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Z. Williams | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| R. Taylor II | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| D. Howell-South | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Z. Blake | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| D. Mazil | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| R. Moore | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| C. Bounds | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 62 | 20 | 8 | 23/58 | 7/18 | 9/15 | 13 | – | 5 | 2 | 7 |
UNC Bright Spots
RJ Davis had 22 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal.
Armando Bacot had 20 points, 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal.
Jae’Lyn had 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal.
Cormac Ryan had 13 points 1 assist, and 1 block.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to start games with more energy, effort, and intensity. Especially against opponents who are not as talented. They allow teams to hang around longer than they should.
Final Observations
North Carolina took care of business against a lesser-talent Wagner team but they need to start games out much stronger and with more urgency. The games only get more difficult as teams advance. We need to see the whole starting lineup play better together and get into a groove so that they can put teams away quicker. RJ Davis struggled against the aggressive attacking guards for Wagner. He has to stay locked in defensively because bigger guards will continue to try and attack him and Elliot Caduea due to their size.
It was great to see Jae’Lyn Withers play well in front of his hometown fans. Hopefully, he will continue to bring the energy and effort for the rest of the NCAA Tournament. It will take a lot of pressure off of the frontcourt players if he can keep up his great play.
North Carolina can beat just about any team in this tournament if they play their game and limit their turnovers. Everyone needs to stay locked in and take it one game at a time being aggressive and moving the ball to the open man. Next up is Michigan St. on Saturday, TBD.
Cadeau was absolutely terrible….. gotta be at least a teeny weeny bit better than he was today…….