Surfing The Green Wave

The North Carolina Tarheels beat the Tulane Green Wave last night in their first basketball game of the season last night 95-75 and it was your typical first game. Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II had career highs in points, 27 and 23 points respectively, and Kennedy Meeks had a career high in rebounds with 15.

Ten Players for the North Carolina Tarheels got at least ten minutes of playing time. Three of those players were freshmen- Tony Bradley, Brandon Robinson, and Seventh Woods. Tony Bradley got the most playing time of the with 17 minutes and he scored in double figures with 10 points but he also picked up four fouls in those minutes.

Head Coach Roy Williams place an emphasis on assists to made field goals and North Carolina was much better in the first half (14-17) than they were the second half (9-17) and 23-34 for the game. I do not know what Roy Williams considers an acceptable percentage but I don not think it is 67.7%. The Tarheels were also -1 in turnovers.

Regular Season Champions

Seniors Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige finished off their final regular season at North Carolina in style as they accomplished a first in their careers- beating Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium and winning the ACC regular season championship. It did not come easy. North Carolina built up an eight point halftime lead and had to hold on to win 76-72. At one point, North Carolina missed 11 shots in a row and Duke got hot from the three point line and tied the game at 49. The Tarheels were able to maintain a sleep lead after that and Paige sealed the win at the free throw line.

North Carolina owned the boards against Duke. They held a 64-29 advantage with 27 offensive rebounds. Johnson had 21 rebounds and Kennedy Meeks had 14. There were plenty of missed shots to rebound. The Tarheels only shot 28.2% in the second half. Duke hit more three pointers than they did regular field goals and shot better from the three point line. All of North Carolina's starters scored in double figures led by Johnson's 18 points. Grayson "Trip" Allen led Duke with 29. North Carolina beat Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Period. North Carolina won the ACC regular season championship. Period.

Beatable

Wake Forest basketball head coach Danny Manning is right when he said that the North Carolina Tarheels are "beatable". The North Carolina Tarheels are winning in spite of the fact that their perimeter game has gone on an early spring break. Guard Marcus Paige has only scored eight points in his past three games on 3 for 25 shooting and 1 of 17 from the three point line and all three of those games the Tarheels won by double digits.

The Tarheels have won all six of their ACC games thanks in large part to their inside game. Brice Johnson, Kennedy Meeks, and Isaiah Hicks have all had career games since the ACC season started. Joel Berry II has been the only consistent perimeter threat because of Paige's season long slump. Paige's slump is concerning but the Tarheels keep winning. Justin Jackson is also in the throes of a slump. For the Tarheels to keep winning and to go deep into the NCAA tournament, the Tarheels will have to get over their team wide case of the "yips" from the three point line. In today's game you have to be able to hit the three with something better than 25 percent consistency.

A Deep Bench

The North Carolina Tarheels have a deep bench, the deepest in the Atlantic Coast conference. They have nine players that average more than ten minutes a game although those numbers are slightly skewed because of injuries to Marcus Paige and Kennedy Meeks. Throw in freshmen Luke Maye and Kenny Williams and the Tarheels can go eleven deep in a pinch. That is a great luxury to have.

I have seen the boxscores from other ACC games and there are several teams that only go seven deep. In Duke's loss to Syracuse, both teams only used seven players. The last man off of the bench for Duke only played two minutes. North Carolina State only used seven players in their loss to North Carolina. ACC leading scorer Anthony Barber only had nine points against the Tarheels, none in the second half. Barber averages over 37 minutes a game. The Tarheel defense had something to do with holing him scoreless in the second half but Barber also knew he wasn't coming out of the game.

As the season progresses, you have to worry about fresh legs especially come ACC tournament time. In a four day format like the ACC now has, that is a brutal stretch of games if you only have two players coming off the bench. Fresh legs do not guarantee wins at the end of the season but I would rather have them than not.

The Man In The Middle

Kennedy Meeks was the latest North Carolina Tarheel post player to have a big game and it happened in his return to the starting lineup against North Carolina State. Pound for pound, the Wolfpack has more size in the middle. Meeks athleticism got the State big men in foul trouble and they both fouled out of the game, Meeks scored 18 of the Tarheels 38 points in the second half and Meeks totaled 23 for the game.

Since the start of ACC conference play, the Tarheels post players have come up big because the North Carolina perimeter game has gone colder than a January day in the North Carolina mountains. The Tarheels are only shooting a little over 25 percent from the three point line in ACC play but Brice Johnson, Isaiah Hicks, and now Kennedy Meeks have all had career games during the Tarheels 5-0 ACC start.

Not Going Meekly

With the news that Kennedy Meeks would miss at least two weeks with a bone bruise that he has been suffering from for quite a while now, the guessing game has begun as to what combination the Tarheels will use to take up Meeks' minutes on the court. Go small with a three guard offense or use Justin Jackson at the four position and slide Brice Johnson to the five or use a combination of Joel James and Isaiah Hicks to man five. James got the start against Tulane and had four points and seven rebounds and Hicks came in and scored a quick eight points in the first half and finished with eleven.

Where does Theo Pinson fit into the mix? After starting in Marcus Paige's place the first six games of the season, he has gotten lost in the shuffle in the past three games. He scored ten points against Tulane including two three pointers but I believe the strength of his game is attacking the basket.

Freshman Lucas Maye got some important minutes off the bench against Tulane and he had one point, five rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot. Maye looked pretty good rebounding and passing the ball but he needs to work on finishing on the offensive end.

A Bounce Back Win

North Carolina's 71-67 loss to Northern Iowa dropped them from #1 to #9 in the polls. It is hard for me to believe that a loss to a good Northern Iowa team could drop the Tarheels that far but that is just proof that early season polls mean absolutely nothing.

Sophomore Justin Jackson broke out of his early season slump in the loss to Northern Iowa with 25 points and he proved that wasn't a fluke by putting up 21 points and 13 rebounds in an 80-69 win against a Chris Collins coached Northwestern team. Chris Collins is a Coack K protégé and I guess they are finally starting to leave the nest. I did not care much for Collins as a player and I doubt that it is going to change now that he is a head coach.

Brice Johnson had another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds and Theo Pinson continued his all around, stat stuffing play with 10 points and 8 assists. Pinson has shown great court awareness so far this season and an improved three point shot. He made the extra pass last night and continually found Kennedy Meeks and Justin Jackson for layups.

Inside Strength

In the North Carolina Tarheels first three basketball games of the season, they have had an obvious advantage on the inside in experience and length with big men Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson and Isaiah Hicks coming off the bench but they have not always taken advantage of it. The Tarheels did not force the inside against a smaller Fairfield team that played mostly zone and the 'Heels settled for medium and long range jumpers much to the dismay of head coach Roy Williams.

Wofford pulled to within 50-47 when the defense of Nate Britt, Joel Berry II, and Brice Johnson took over. Steals and blocked shots led to several breakouts by North Carolina and finished with a 28-11 run that gave them a hard earned 78-58 win over Wofford. Swing man Theo Pinson had the shot of the night but it was also his only basket. Meeks and Johnson both had 16 points and Hicks had a season high 12.

The outside duo of Joel Berry II and Nate Britt has proved to be formidable so far this season as Britt has provided the outside shooting and Berry II has provided a scoring touch that has them both averaging in double figures. Their play has opened up the possibility of going to a three guard offense whenever Marcus Paige does return from injury.

Man Down

The North Carolina Tarheels have already started out the 2015-16 college basketball season with their best player, Marcus Paige, out for a month. The last time I can remember this happening was 2008-09 when Tyler Hansbrough was out to begin the season for North Carolina and that turned out pretty well for the Tarheels as they won the National Championship.

In the Tarheels second game of the season against Fairfield Coach Roy Williams said the Tarheels showed "a lack of execution" and "a lack of effort" in the first half and only took an eight point lead into halftime. Kennedy Meeks scored six of his eight points in the first ten minutes and then it seemed like the Tarheels decided to settle on perimeter jumpers. Brice Johnson scored 16 but his best work came on the offensive glass, Justin Jackson scored 11 but all of his damage came on the fast break and his game seems to be struggling when the Tarheels have to go to a half court offense.

Nate Britt came off the bench to score 17 including four of six from the three point line and he has probably been the Tarheels MVP through their first two games (if their is such a thing). Marcus Paige replacement, Joel Berry II, had 15 points, all of the jump shot variety (three of eight from the three point line), and the zone defenses employed by other teams still seems to give the Tarheels fits.

Theo Pinson has stepped up to fill J.P. Tokoto's stat stuffing role and scored a career high 11 against Fairfield with eight assists and zero turnovers. I can't wait to see what he can do over a full season after missing most his freshman season and this summer's workouts with a foot problem.

After the first couple of games of the season, the Tarheels have shown that they are much better when they run the court versus a half court game because their big men can get up and down the court and the basketball world has not someone that can make the outlet pass like Kennedy Meeks since the days of Wes Unseld in the 1960's and '70's. The Tarheels outside shooting has improved (15-35) even without arguably their best outside shooter. I see the Tarheels as a top five team right now but their held on number one may be tenuous.

Always The Coach

There is a habit among coaches that probably goes back to the days of James Naismith and that is you cannot let your team feel to good about what they just accomplished. The North Carolina Tarheels beat the Temple Owls 91-67 in the opener for both teams and Coach Roy Williams was not exactly a happy man after the game.

Junior big man Kennedy Meeks had a career high 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds and three blocks but Coach Williams said after the game that he was not ready to "anoint" Meeks because he was facing much smaller Temple players and indicated that Meeks should have had a pretty good game. He also said that Junior Isaiah Hicks "did not play worth a dang" after scoring only six points and four rebounds.

Senior Brice Johnson also had a double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) but was involved in an incident towards the end of the game that resulted in Nate Britt getting ejected from the game. Johnson had a rebound dunk and he hung on the rim and a Temple player took exception to the fact that Johnson's legs were wrapped around his neck and shoved him to the ground. Nate Britt left the bench to prevent the altercation from escalating, resulting in Britt's automatic ejection.

As far as I know, hanging on the rim is still a technical foul and the only exception is a player can hang on the rim to avoid injury. Now players hang on the rim to rub it in the other team's face and call a few technical foul's and the problem might go away.

Britt played a great game, 15 points and three for four from the three point line) and Roy Williams did credit Britt with being a catalyst off the bench. Coach Williams did punish the whole team by making them dress up for the trip back to Chapel Hill thanks to Britt's lack of better judgement.

Isaiah Hicks

Usually there is at least one name that generates buzz coming out of North Carolina's fall practices for being much improved or they put in some serious work over the summer and it shows in their game. This year it is junior big man Isaiah Hicks. I have been expecting big things from Hicks since he set foot in the Dean Dome as a freshman but the transition from high school to college is a bigger leap for some players than it is for others. Hicks caught my attention when he had 34 points and 30 rebounds in the state high school championship game as a senior in high school. I don't care who you are playing against, those are some eye popping numbers.

Hicks may not even start at the beginning of this season. He is primed and ready for his breakout season and he could be on the floor at the same time as Kennedy Meeks, Brice Johnson, Justin Jackson, Isaiah Hicks, and Marcus Paige on the floor at the same time. Size and athleticism. We wouldn't need to shoot three's but Paige could if he had to.

The Defense Is Offensive

As a lifelong, diehard Tarheel fan, yesterday's game against Pittsburgh was difficult to watch. The Pittsburgh offense Pittsburgh dictated the play on both ends of the court. Pittsburgh ran at will on the Tarheels, they ran their halfcourt offense to perfection, and ended up shooting 65% for the game. They repeatedly drove the ball down the middle of the lane and either hit layups or kicked it out for wide open jumpers. Pittsburgh was not considered a good offensive team before this game. Pittsburgh had 30 assists on 37 made field goals and only had 4 turnovers in the game. Only towards the end of the game did North Carolina apply anything remotely resembling defensive pressure. By then the Tarheels were down by 20 points.

On offense, the Tarheels played well enough to win. They shot almost 50% and only had 5 turnovers. Brice Johnson had 19 points and Kennedy Meeks had 15. Marcus Paige cannot get going. Paige only had 8 points and 6 assists but was only 1 for 7 from the three point line.

In my limited coaching experience, defense is mostly "want to" and "desire". As a coach, you can preach and teach defense all you want to, but the team or player has to want to play great defense. Some teams get after it more than others. Right now, it looks like the 'Heels have lost the desire to play defense.

The Tarheel Depth

The 2014-15 North Carolina basketball team probably has more depth on it than any Tarheel team in recent memory, maybe ever. They have nine players averaging double figures in minutes per game with a tenth, Joel James, averaging about 9 minutes a game. Usually by the start of ACC Conference play, the Tarheels rotation has weeded itself out to where only about eight players are getting minutes. Eleven players on the roster have played in all 14 games with a twelveth, Jackson Simmons, having played in 12 of the contests.

Over the past couple of seasons, Head Coach Roy Williams, has had to try non-traditional lineup combinations ("small ball", for example, from a few seasons ago). He has tried that same type of combination this season with Theo Pinson, Nate Britt, and Marcus Paige all being on the floor at the same time. North Carolina has a guard heavy roster. If they could all hit three-pointers that would be great but they are more ball handlers and putting on defensive pressure than they are shooters. Britt is probably the best on the ball defender on the team.

The Centers on North Carolina's team- Kennedy Meeks, Joel James, and Desmond Hubert- all get playing time. Meeks is the only true offensive threat of the three but James' game is developing nicely. He can occasionally hit a mid-range jumper and throw in an old school Sky Hook to keep the other team off balance. Hubert is good for a few rebounds and an ESPN highlight worthy block shot per game.

Clemson Is Ice Cold

The North Carolina Tarheels won their ACC conference opener yesterday over Clemson 74-50 in a game that was pretty much over by halftime. Clemson only scored 17 points in the first half on 5 for 28 shooting (17.9%) and was only 28.3% for the game. The Tarheels defense had something to do with it but Clemson is not a good shooting team.

Justin Jackson led the way for North Carolina with 13 points, Kennedy Meeks had 12 points and 12 rebounds despite battling a stomach bug, and three other players were in double figures.

Marcus Paige had 11 points on 3 for 4 from the three point line and is showing signs of coming out of his season long shooting slump. The thing I like the most about Paige's game is that he is not forcing his shot. He is letting the game come to him.

The Tarheels In The House That Jordan Built

The Tarheels played Ohio State last Saturday in Chicago and came away with a big victory over #12 Ohio State, 82-74. Ohio State employed a zone almost the entire game and North Carolina took it to Ohio State. With Kennedy Meeks on the high post and Brice Johnson manning the baseline, the Tarheels dismantled the zone without having to resort to firing up three pointer after three pointer.

Brice Johnson led the way with 18 points and Marcus Paige added 16. Freshman Justin Jackson was the only other double figure scorer with 11.

The Tarheels played a solid overall game. They outrebounded Ohio State 53-40 and held them to 35% shooting. Ohio State was 3rd in the nation in Field Goal Percentage coming into the game.

The Tarheels did, however, struggle down the stretch at the free throw line as the Tarheels only went 5 for 12 in the last three minutes of the game. Watching them at the free throw line made me pace the floor and my dog Molly hide under the bed but the Tarheel defense did not allow Ohio State to capitalize.

Offseason Work Pays Off

My take so far from the Tarheels basketball season is that Kennedy Meeks and J.P. Tokoto put in some serious work on their games this past offseason. I am sure the rest of their teammates put in the work as well but Tokoto and Meeks' has been the most apparent on the court.

Meeks worked on his physique and fitness and his weight loss of over 50 pounds has been well documented. He looks almost emaciated compared to what he did last year. His quickness and agility has greatly improved. That weight loss has translated to his play on the court as Meeks is a double-double waiting to happen. He has already had six double digit rebound games this season. He easily leads the team in Field Goal Percentage at 63.8%, Rebounding at 10.1 per game, and Blocked Shots with 15. He is second on the team in scoring at 13.8 per game.

J.P. Tokoto has always had the reputation of being more of an athlete than a basketball player. His high flying dunks (and his misses) were ESPN worthy but he has really developed his overall game this season. He has transformed himself into a basketball player. He is averaging 10 points, and almost 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. He easily leads the Tarheels in Assists and I don't know if a non-Point Guard has ever led the Tarheels basketball team in Assists since the Dean Smith era began in the early 1960's.

East Carolina

As a true Tarheel blue fan, I am glad the Tarheels play East Carolina in basketball as well. After some let down losses to Butler and Iowa, the Tarheels bounced back with a 108-64 win over East Carolina. They raced out to a 48-29 halftime lead and improved to 6-2. Brice Johnson had a double-double in the first half and finished with 19 points and 17 rebounds, J.P. Tokoto had 19 points and 8 assists, and Kennedy Meeks also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Nate Britt was the only other double figure scorer with 10 points.

The Tarheels need to quit playing during Carolina Panthers games on Sundays. I was busy watching the Panthers destroy the Saints 41-10 in the Superdome to put themselves back in the NFC playoff picture so I only caught the highlights of the East Carolina game. I also religiously poured over the stats like I normally do and 60% shooting and 17-22 at the free throw line was Light Years ahead of what they shot against Iowa. The focus in the East Carolina game was on getting the ball inside as they only shot 7 three-pointers (only hitting 1) after only going 4-23 against Iowa. According to Roy Williams, the overall play was going to be better and it was. Sometimes a team just needs the proper motivation.

Death, Taxes, And a Tarheel Victory Over Clemson

There are three sure things in life if you are a Tarheel basketball fan: Death, Taxes, and a victory against Clemson in Chapel Hill. The latest victory, an 80-61 victory last night, was the 57th in a row over Clemson in Chapel Hill, and was a very solid offensive showing against a Clemson team that was ranked 10th in the nation in total defense. James Michael McAdoo led the way with 22 points and played a great overall game and Marcus Paige chipped in with 15. Leslie McDonald had 12 points and Kennedy Meeks had 11 points and 3 blocked shots in his third start on the season. The 'Heels played with a "sense of urgency" is the phrase that Roy Williams kept using. The 'Heels played like their basketball season depended on it and at 12-7, every game might from this point on out. The 'Heels are 2-4 in the ACC and probably need to finish at 10-6 in the ACC and have a strong showing in the ACC Tournament to stand a chance at making the NCAA Tournament. They do have solid wins against Louisville and Michigan State in their resume and they will have several more opportunities against Top 25 teams.

Brice Johnson And Kennedy Meeks

Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks may not start for the Tarheels but they are turning into the two most valuable big men the 'Heels have. Johnson provides that offensive punch off the bench as well as providing a few highlight worthy Blocked Shots that go sailing into the third row of the Dean E. Smith Center. Meeks provides points, rebounds, and may be the best passing big man the Tarheels have had since Brad Daugherty. Johnson is second on the team in scoring at 13.6 per game in only 20 minutes per game and Meeks is averaging 8.5 in only 14 minutes per game and he is 4th on the team in Assists. They are both leading the team in Field Goal Percentage by a wide margin, both well over 60%, and and they provide quality minutes and energy off the bench.

The Twilight Zone

Watching the 2013-14 version of the North Carolina Tarheels basketball team has been like watching an episode of The Twilight Zone. They lose to mid-Major teams Belmont and Alabama-Birmingham, games they easily should have won, and yet they beat #3 Louisville and last night defeated #1 Michigan State on the road in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge, 79-65. After the loss to UA-B, they even fell out of one of the Top 25 polls. The 'Heels had five players in double figures led be Freshman Kennedy Meeks 15 points and 7 rebounds in only 18 minutes, Brice Johnson 14, Marcus Paige and Nate Britt 13, andf J.P. Tokoto 12 points and 10 rebounds. If the Tarheels want to go very far into the NCAA's this season, they have some fundamental problems that can be fixed. They have problems at the free throw line (22-48 against Belmont), they have a lack of an outside threat besides Marcus Paige (he has hit 18 out of the 21 Tarheels three-pointers this season), and they have a hard time guarding against dribble penetration. The 'Heels resume this season has the two biggest upsets in college basketball thus far, but two bad losses tempers that and with the ACC super conference this season, it should be a very interesting rest of the season.