The Tar Heels might have avoided another halftime tongue-lashing from Hubert Davis by holding scrappy East Tennessee State scoreless over the last minute of the first half Tuesday night.
In their victory over USC Upstate Saturday, they were winning the statistical battle but could not put the Spartans away until late in the game. That led to an uncharacteristic response by Hubert that made bigger news that their eventual 18-point win.
This time, they completed a 12-0 run in the first 90 seconds of the second half and never looked back to eventually lead by 27 points. Davis cleared his bench in the 77-58 victory that was only one point more than their last win but dominating by comparison.
ETSU was a better team with a better record than Upstate, but couldn’t handle the Heels and Henri Veesaar, who finished with a career-high 26 points and missed just one shot of his 11 from the floor and from the foul line. His field goal percentage of 90.9 tied the fourth highest by a Tar Heel in the Smith Center and tied the fifth best by any player in the near 40-year history of the Dean Dome.
His game continues to explode from his two years at Arizona and together with freshman post-mate Caleb Wilson are pointing the No. 12 Heels toward ACC contention.
“We want to dominate points in the paint,” Davis said of his team’s 36-22 advantage, “because Henri and Caleb are pretty good, and that opens up everything for us on the offensive end. They can score, but they can really pass and when they are double teamed they’re patient enough to find the open man, whether it’s a guy on the perimeter or another teammate cutting to the basket.”
The dynamic duo scored the last four points of a 15-0 run for a 66-39 lead that assured their 10th win against one loss, Carolina’s best start since 2017-18. With senior Seth Trimble about ready to return, Davis got 19 points in 66 minutes from his bench, which has benefitted from Trimble’s injury. And they were part of an effective zone defense that looked like it had been practiced.
Having 11 different players from last season’s team, Davis and his staff seem to be building great chemistry, which is not easy with a new roster. And with at least two Quad 1 wins, the Heels will chase a third against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic Saturday in Atlanta, Wilson’s hometown and should draw a loud crowd.
Carolina shot 64 percent in the first half, 54 for the game, had 18 assists on 27 made baskets and committed just 7 turnovers. Point guard Kyan Evans had a great 30 minutes with 6 points, 6 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and zero turnovers.
“It’s a good start for us, but there’s a lot of improvement to go, a lot of hard work,” Davis said.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
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Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.
