UNC defeated Winston-Salem State 95-53 in its final exhibition of the preseason at the Dean Smith Center Wednesday night. Here are some observations and takeaways from the Tar Heels’ performance:
A slow start leads to a dominant second half
Carolina appeared ready to run away early by taking an 18-5 lead, bur Winston-Salem State cut that lead down to as little as five points and entered the locker room trailing 39-26. The Tar Heels shot just 14-32 (43.8 percent) in the half and turned the ball over seven times. In the locker room, players noted vocal leadership from Elijah Davis (son of head coach Hubert Davis) and Seth Trimble inspired the team in the second. Carolina blitzed the Rams 56-27 after halftime.
“The energy, effort, attention to detail wasn’t there in the first half,” Hubert Davis said. “It was the exact opposite in the second half.”
UNC’s defense is much improved
Hubert Davis and general manager Jim Tanner made getting bigger a priority in the offseason, in an effort to improve the Tar Heels’ defensive performance. The new and improved defense certainly looked the part Wednesday night, holding the Rams scoreless for the first 5:38 of the game and. Winston-Salem State ended the night just 20-71 (28.2 percent) from the floor.
Caleb Wilson is still the real deal
Wilson, the five-star freshman forward from Atlanta, followed up his 22-point, 10-rebound showing in UNC’s first exhibition against BYU with another strong effort Wednesday. He finished with a team-high 23 points, including a thunderous one-handed dunk in the first half. Wilson stuffed the stat sheet in other ways too, with 10 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and a steal.
“Probably like a 7 out of 10,” Wilson said of his dunk. “I’ve thrown down some nasty posters that have never seen the light. We’ll see more throughout the season… I’ve dunked on somebody from the ACC logo before.”
The Tar Heels need more from Kyan Evans
Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans is still searching for an offensive rhythm. The point guard finished with only six points against Winston-Salem State and was the only starter to not reach double figures. Evans has scored just 10 points combined across UNC’s two preseason exhibition games. He averaged 10.6 points per game last season at Colorado State.
Jarin Stevenson is making his case to start
Even if/when Montenegrin national Luka Bogavac is cleared to play by UNC, his place in the starting lineup might not be set in stone. Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson, seemingly the odd man out among UNC’s starting quintet, played like anything but against the Rams. The Chapel Hill native made the most of his homecoming with 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks, all while playing suffocating defense.
“It’s good to be home and wear the Carolina blue,” Stevenson said. “I had a lot of my family and friends here. It was nice.”
“I’ve got to get him more shots,” Davis said of Stevenson. “He’s so talented on the offensive end.”
Backup center remains a concern
While seven-foot Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar looked solid with 10 points Wednesday, his minutes on the bench will be an X-factor for Carolina. The duo of James Brown and Zayden High backed Veesaar up, but neither had the size or showed the skill of Veesaar. Veesaar can ill afford to get in foul trouble for the Tar Heels this season.
Fan frustration with the Luka Bogavac saga is growing
Luka Bogavac once again did not play or even dress out for Carolina Wednesday as the university reportedly continues to work through issues with his transcript. Tar Heel fans have expressed their dissatisfaction with the situation, particularly given the fact that Bogavac has been cleared by the NCAA itself, typically the last hurdle in an international player’s path to playing collegiately in the United States. But Bogavac continues to sit. During quiet moments at the Smith Center Wednesday (including just after the playing of the national anthem), fans could be heard yelling “Free Luka!”
The Tar Heels will officially open the regular season when they host Central Arkansas at the Smith Center Monday night at 7 p.m.
Featured image via Todd Melet. For a full photo gallery of the game, click here.
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