It took some time, but once Carolina settled into the flow of the game, and turned the pressure up defensively, and quit turning the basketball over, the Tar Heels ran away from American, 107-55 last night, to improve to 2-1 on the season. The Eagles held an 18-13 lead at the under-12 timeout of the first half, and that’s when Hubert Davis deployed the full-court press, which turned the game in Carolina’s favor. The applied defensive pressure quickly resulted in an 8-0 run to give Carolina the lead, and they’d never look back, on their way to a 43-34 halftime margin. In the second half, Carolina outscored American 64-21, as they shot 63% from the field, and 44% from behind the arc. On the flipside, American shot just 15% from the field over the final 20 minutes, and an even worse 6% from behind the arc, allowing Carolina to win the game so decisively.
Elliot Cadeau scored a game-high 18 points, including 15 in the first half to set the tone. He was one of five Tar Heels to reach double figures scoring, followed by Jalen Washington (18), RJ Davis (13), Seth Trimble (13), and Cade Tyson (11). Carolina’s offense was not only potent, but it was efficient, scoring 107 points, on 59% shooting, combined with a 28-34 performance from the foul line. Additionally, Carolina scored 22 points off turnovers, they scored 56 points in the paint, 15 second-chance points, and 23 points in transition to complete the best offensive performance of the season so far.
This was the first meeting between the two schools, with the reason behind American visiting Chapel Hill, is that 2005 national champion, Jackie Manuel is on the American coaching staff. As we saw in the first 10 minutes, American is primed to compete in the Patriot League this season, but tonight was completely outclassed and overwhelmed by a UNC team looking to hit its stride ahead of the Maui Invitational, Thanksgiving week. Here’s what to take away from Friday night’s dominant win:
Slow Start, Big Finish: An early theme is developing for Carolina, and it’s that it takes some time for them to get going. The final score wouldn’t let you believe that American led at the under-12 timeout of the first half, but that was the case, as the Eagles led 18-13. Carolina would close the first half on a 30-16 run, and never look back. Carolina would go on a 22-2 run in the second half, to not only put the game away but build the final margin. Carolina does have to start games faster, but it’s nice to know this team can overcome a slow start, and turn the tide of the game.
Cadeau Shines, Davis Struggles: Elliot Cadeau continues his stellar start to the season, and last night he was at his best, scoring 18 points, including 15 in the first half. He handed out 8 assists, and tied a career-high, with 4 steals. His defensive pressure in the backcourt, really turned the game in UNC’s favor, after the slow start. As for RJ Davis, his shooting woes continue, as he scored 13 points, but was 5-13 from the field, and 1-7 from behind the arc. He entered the game shooting 22% from deep, and that number won’t improve after that shooting display. Every good player goes through a stretch like this, but if Carolina is going to win the Maui Invitational, they’ll need RJ Davis to play to his preseason All-American status.
Confidence Boosters: If Jalen Washington and Cade Tyson go on to have productive seasons, look back at this game as the reason why. Carolina needs both of them to play at a high level, for them to compete in the frontcourt, and both played their best game of the season so far. Washington scored 18 points and was perfect from the field 6-6, and was 6-7 from the foul line. As for Cade Tyson, who played just 63 seconds at Kansas last week, he finally looked like the player Carolina thought they were getting out of the transfer portal, He made 3 three-pointers and scored 11 points in 21 minutes. You could tell there was a weight lifted off his shoulders, and he was finally having fun, and playing with confidence.
Shorthanded Bench Delivers: Carolina was without freshman sensation Ian Jackson, and James Brown, as both guys missed the game with lower-leg injuries, but Hubert Davis still got plenty of good run from his reserves. Led by Tyson, Carolina scored 38 bench points, with Ven-Allen Lubin and Drake Powell both playing at a high level. Powell, had two blocks at the rim that wowed the Smith Center crowd, as he’s been as good defensively as he was promised upon arriving on campus back in the summer. Powell scored 7 points and grabbed 11 rebounds off the bench in 26 minutes.
Dominant Defensive Effort: After allowing 18 points in the first eight and a half minutes, American would only score 37 points, over the final 31 minutes of the game. They shot just 31% from the field, including 14% in the second half, and an even worse 6% from behind the three-point line. All those missed shots allowed Carolina to dominate the glass,46-23, their first real dominant game in the department. Add in the 13 forced turnovers, and you could argue this was one of the better defensive games Carolina has played under Hubert Davis.
Up Next: Carolina is off again for another week, as they travel to Hawaii, for the Maui Invitational. First though, they’ll take on the Hawaii Warriors on Friday night, at 12:30 AM east coast time.