Two In A Row: Are the Tar Heels Back on Track?

When your bench scores 40 plus points, 9 times out of 10 you can guarantee a win. Being ready when your number is called was the common theme on Tuesday night, as the North Carolina Tar Heels poured it on in the second half – toppling Citadel 100-6 . In one of the most efficient games of the season, a bright spot in Tuesday night’s win was production from the bench. Head coach Hubert Davis went to his bench early during the first half, with 10 players getting meaningful minutes. Going into intermission up 15, North Carolina continued to separate itself in the second half with solid contributions from Dontrez Styles, Tyler Nickel and Seth Trimble.

Speaking of Efficiency

North Carolina’s had 13 assists with their first 14 field goals. As a team, North Carolina dished out 24 assists, shot nearly 50 percent from the field (49.2), 48% from deep, and 77% from the charity stripe. A huge factor in second chance points was the Heels’ advantage on the interior – finishing the contest with a 47-31 rebounding edge. North Carolina’s largest lead of the game was 36 and wouldn’t have happened without the dominant force in the paint from ACC Player of the Year candidate Armando Bacot who passed Billy Cunningham last night with the most double figure rebound games in a Tar Heels uniform with 62.

Hubert Davis reiterated after the game to focus on the present tense, and to erase any distractions from last years final four team. Up next for the Heels is a matchup in the Big Apple Saturday versus Ohio State and finishing up the Big 10 matchups the following Wednesday at the Hive against Michigan.

“It’s not a finished product, but it has, we have improved,” Hubert Davis said after the win. “I mean, in the week and a half that we’ve been here, we’re playing better defense. We’re rebounding better. We had 24 assists, so we’re making the extra pass. We’re shooting better. And so does that mean that we’re exactly where we need to be? No. But I feel like we’re moving in the right direction and it’s a great opportunity to play against a really, really good Ohio State team in New York City this Saturday. We’re excited about the challenge.”