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I certainly hope Elon is a better team than Maine.
The basketball season is officially underway with a typical made-for-TV doubleheader on the ACC Network. Duke drew the short straw and played the University of Maine at 7 pm, and Carolina got the “second game” against Elon that tipped off just after 9 o’clock.
The Tar Heels dominated most of their game, but Elon hung around and even rallied for a short lead by outshooting the home team in the second half. UNC’s mini-me backcourt of Elliot Cadeau and R.J. Davis took over, which is both good news and bad.
At halftime, ESPN’s Seth Greenberg verbalized what a lot of talking heads will say during Hubert Davis’ first season without landlord Armando Bacot in the paint. Acknowledging the Heels’ overall talent and depth, he wondered “how they will do with such a small team.”
Carolina outrebounded Elon but only by three and fell prey to its second-half zone defense that allowed the visitors to score 13 straight points and go from a dozen behind to ahead by three. Davis and Cadeau answered by leading an 11-0 run that regained control of the game. Davis, who scored 17 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, dropped a runner and then a 3-pointer followed by Cadeau’s three ball and free throw. Davis assisted on a layup by Jalen Washinton in the eventual 90-76 victory.
Coach Davis, who sported a new beard and his old temper when he scolded his team during the late lull, played nine guys from Davis’ 33 minutes to freshman Ian Jackson’s 12. The Tar Heels had 12 offensive rebounds in the first half off which they scored 12 points. But they had only six in the second half against the more aggressive Phoenix.
Seth Trimble replaced Cade Tyson in a three-guard starting lineup, but the supposedly quick defense gave up too many open shots. Power forward Jae’Lyn Withers had 10 points (including two 3-pointers) and 6 rebounds in the first half, did not score after that and finished with the only double-double in the game of 10 and 10.
Elon plays in the Coastal Athletic Association that has pretty good programs like College of Charleston and UNC-Wilmington. Maine, which lost at Duke by 34 points, is a member of the America East Conference that has Bryant and Vermont. The Black Bears showed a well-coached team at Cameron but could not keep up with the 7th-ranked Blue Devils’ size and pure talent that will produce another high-seeded NCAA Tournament team.
“I know it’s November,” Hubert said of his No. 9 team after the TV doubleheader ended, “but I want us to play more like it’s March.”
He will get a better chance to measure that on Friday night when the Tar Heels visit top-ranked Kansas in Lawrence.
Featured image via Todd Melet
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.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
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