1. She wasn’t pretty, but Carolina made the right pass along the stretch of road to complete her sweep of Louisville.
2. The closing records, from the point where they were 60-60 minutes, were solid. RJ Davis I got a steal and stopped playing to give Carolina a lead she wouldn’t give up. Brady Manic Made a tough base shot, and Manek found it too Armando Bacot A wonderful nourishment for dipping. out of Hubert Davis time out, Caleb Love It ended at the edge. The first 37 minutes were not technical, but the last three minutes were very strong.
3. Carolina also managed the clock well at the finish, taking advantage of having just four team errors to force Louisville to burn six seconds in the face of a seven-point delay.
4. ONE NIGHT THAT LOVE HAD SOMETHING SURPRISE I felt that Davis was important in controlling the flow of the game. Davis finished with 16 points and made assists, but most importantly, he had no spins. He also participated in most of the game’s biggest plays.
5. It is a great luxury to have Love and Davis as key guards in handling the ball in a close match. Both are excellent from the free-throw streak, and they combined to go 7-7 of the charity strip on Monday. As a team, the Tar Heels converted 11-13 free throws.
6. Buff Johnson Carolina gave seven excellent minutes in the first half. The sophomore pushed the ball in transition creating two free throws for himself, and made a great entry afterwards Brady ManicAnd caught stealing. Johnson was good enough at doing the little things that let the tar rest black leaky More than they might do in the first 20 minutes. Johnson was the only reserve to play in the second half.
7. Defensive communication is still an issue. Armando Bacot And the RJ Davis They failed to talk to each other in one sequence in the first half resulting in a three-point Cardinal’s basket being wide open. This is an area of the game Hubert Davis He continues to speak regularly in practice – early communication, loud, clear and persistent – but it is still a work in progress.
8. Armando Bacot (12 points, 15 rebounds) He now has a 21 double this year. Carolina’s season record is Brice Johnson with 23, which seems close in hand. Carolina wasn’t great at getting the ball for Bakout, especially in the second half, but he created his chances by hitting the glass relentlessly. He finished with five offensive rebounds.
9. Manek just knows how to play. His 17 points were fantastic, but he made the right pass consistently at the right time. He got two passes with no spin.
10. It was great to have Cameron Johnson and Luke May back at the Smith Center. Both took advantage of breaks in their professional schedule – Johnson with the Phoenix Suns and May with Spain’s Premier League – to visit Chapel Hill. You’ll hear more from Johnson on the next episode of Carolina Insider Podcast.
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