by Derrick Clyburn

The Tar Heels took ten days off to focus on final exams and get ready for Christmas break. Carolina looked a little rusty in the first half with silly turnovers and not being strong with the ball on many possessions. I knew that Tennessee would be chomping at the bit, playing in front of a sell-out crowd against the Defending National Champions. The Vols played scrappy and aggressive, winning most of the hustle plays in the first half. UNC in the second half finally woke up and play with more purpose. They took control in the final minute led by the senior leadership of Joel Berry. Who led all scoring with 21 points. Kenny Williams and Luke Maye had 15 points each.

UNC Game Stats

North Carolina

FG    3PT   FT    REB  AST  STL  BLK  TO   PF  PTS

1. Maye             7-14  1-2     0-1     8       0        0       0       2       1       15
2. Pinson          1-5    0-1     5-5     9       8        2       0       2       1       7
3. Brooks         3-6   0-0     3-3     8       1        0       0       0       0       9
4. Williams      6-11  2-4     1-2      2       1        0       0        1       0       15
5. Berry II         7-19 3-9     4-4     4       2       1       0        3       3       21
6. Huffman     0-0   0-0     0-0     0       0      0       0       0       1       0
7. Manley        5-8   0-0     0-2     8       1        0       1        1       3       10
8. Robinson   0-0   0-0     1-2     2       1        0       1         2       3       1
9. Platek         0-2    0-1     0-0     0       1       0       0        1       1       0
10. Felton          0-2   0-0     0-0     1       2       0       0       3       1       0

 

TEAM      29-67  6-17  14-19   45   17   4      2       16      16      78

43.3%   35.3%   73.7%

 

Tennessee

FG     3PT    FT    REB  AST STL  BLK TO    PF    PTS

1. Schofield     3-13   2-6     2-2     2       0       0       0       3       4       10
2. Alexander   2-3     0-0     1-2     4       0       0       3       0       2       5
3. Williams      7-15   0-0     1-2     4       0       1       2       2       4       15
4. Bone            4-9     0-3     2-2     4       4       1       0       2       0       10
5. Bowden      3-7     2-3     4-4     3       1       2       0       0       4       12
6. Fulkerson  0-2     0-0     2-2     4       1       2       1       0       4         2
7. Walker        0-0    0-0     0-0     2       0       0       0       0       0       0
8. Darrington 1-4    1-2     0-0     0       1       0       0       1       1          3
9. Daniel III     4-6   4-6     2-2     2       3       0       0       0       4       14
10. Turner         1-8    0-5     0-1     9       1       0       0       2       0       2

 

TEAM     25-67  9-25  14-17  38   11    6      6       13      23      73

37.3%   36.0%   82.4%

Luke Maye had 15 points and 8 rebounds.

Kenny Williams has been consistent on both ends of the floor all season. Williams hit a huge 3 pointer with one minute left that helped the Tar Heels take the lead for good. He had 15 points and 2 rebounds.

The freshmen bigs were steady. Sterling Manley had 10 points and 8 rebounds. Garrison Brooks had 9 points and 8 rebounds.

Theo Pinson had two big steals and four big free throws to help Carolina keep the lead. He had 7 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels freshmen bigs need to keep focusing on attention to detail on defense and rebounding.

Final Observations

Final exams are over. Now the Tar Heels can focus on nothing but basketball for the next 2 weeks. Carolina should be getting Cam Johnson back in the next week or two. Johnson will help bolster the perimeter shooting and add more depth to the team. The Tar Heels needed a game like this on the road in front of a hostile crowd to shake off the cobwebs.