Through three possessions of Friday night’s exhibition game–a span that included the entire first minute of play–the No. 6 UNC men’s basketball team found itself trailing the UNC-Pembroke Braves 4-2.
From there, though, you had to squint just to tell whether the Tar Heels ever missed a beat without departed seniors Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige–scoring at will on their way to a 124-63 victory at the Dean Dome.
Head coach Roy Williams began making mass substitutions as early as six minutes into the game, as UNC showcased its entire roster at one point or another against a severely overmatched Pembroke squad.
Joel Berry asserted himself from the get-go against UNC-Pembroke, on the way to a team-high 20 points. (Todd Melet)
Junior guard Joel Berry led the way in his first game since being named to the Preseason All-ACC first team–scoring 20 points and dishing out six assists in just 22 minutes of playing time.
Six Tar Heels ended up finishing in double figures scoring the ball, as UNC shot an incredible 66 percent from the floor.
Perhaps the brightest spots of the night, however, came from the team’s sophomore pairing of forward Luke Maye and shooting guard Kenny Williams.
Although they didn’t see much playing time a year ago after arriving as unheralded recruits, both players made their mark on Friday.
Maye flashed his versatile skill set by putting up 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. He even drained a three-pointer when left alone out on the wing.
With the Tar Heels’ frontcourt depth severely limited this season, Maye will likely have to provide meaningful minutes in big time games–but it appears he’s found the confidence to be ready when the time comes.
“I play differently than a lot of typical bigs that Coach recruits,” Maye said after the game. “He just tells me to play to my strengths.
“I’m not as athletic as Isaiah [Hicks] or as big as Tony [Bradley] or Kennedy [Meeks],” he continued. “I just try to use my quickness on the perimeter and my ability to shoot–and just try to bring that to the table.”
The younger Williams, meanwhile, came into Chapel Hill with a reputation as a three-point shooter but made just one throughout all of last year.
Against UNC-Pembroke, Williams came out with all 10 of his points in the first half–sending the crowd into a frenzy by doubling his career three-point total in the process.
Sophomore guard Kenny Williams scored all 10 of his points in the first half, but got fans on their feet with a pair of three-pointers. (Todd Melet)
“I’m a lot more confident and comfortable,” the Virginia native told reporters afterward. “I know more of what the team needs from me, and where I can contribute.”
Although the Tar Heels were never truly in trouble at any point during the night, Coach Williams was none too pleased hearing some of his players tell him on the bench that they weren’t quite in game shape yet.
He was also upset with the 30 offensive rebounds his team allowed to UNC-Pembroke, something that goes against everything he preaches as a coach.
“I told them about a kid that came and visited when I was at Kansas,” the coach said. “He didn’t realize there were 11 commandments. After watching my practice, he said the 11th commandment was ‘Thou shall box out.’
“We did not heed the 11th commandment tonight.”
As with any exhibition game, there are certainly areas that the Tar Heels would like to clean up before beginning their regular season next week.
If they showed anything on Friday, though, it’s that there are plenty of players capable of producing at a high level offensively. In the past, that’s been a great indicator of just how good UNC can be–especially in Williams’ fast-paced system.
Up Next:
The Tar Heels kick off their regular season next Friday night at 9 p.m. with a road contest in New Orleans against Tulane.
Game Notes:
- Senior guard Nate Britt started in place of the injured Theo Pinson. Britt scored just five points in 17 minutes of action.
- UNC received 56 points from its bench players.
- Freshman big man Tony Bradley–who stands 6-foot-10 with long, lanky arms–was very impressive in his debut. He finished with nine points, eight rebounds and a game-high four blocks.
- The Tar Heels also flashed a much-improved stroke from outside, hitting 10 of their 20 three-pointers on the night.
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