No. 14 UNC Cruises Past UNLV Into Maui Invitational Semifinals

It took over six minutes for No. 14 UNC to score its first points on Monday night in Asheville, but the Tar Heels eventually got things rolling on the way to a 78-51 victory over the UNLV Runnin’ Rebels as part of the Maui Invitational quarterfinals.

UNLV (0-2) lost its season opener to Montana State by double digits, but opened Monday night’s game on a 13-0 run behind leading scorer Bryce Hamilton.

“Bryce [Hamilton] got off to a much better start than we wanted him to,” head coach Roy Williams said afterwards. “But I felt okay about the score. I told them at the first timeout I wasn’t worried about the score, I was just worried about how we were playing.”

The undersized Rebels tried to counter UNC’s advantage in the paint by loading up their defense inside and daring the Tar Heels to shoot. That plan worked in the early stages, before senior guard Andrew Platek finally got the Tar Heels on the board with a three-pointer from above the key–a shot that was UNC’s ninth of the evening.

Platek has been a major surprise off the bench in the early going for the Tar Heels, playing solid defense while also showing he isn’t afraid to take open shots when needed.

He was one of four Tar Heels to score in double figures in the game, finishing with 11 points in just 16 minutes.

“We were worried for a second,” Platek said about UNLV’s early run. “But we knew if we played our principles and played our game plan, that we were gonna be fine.”

Freshman guard R.J. Davis also showed the ability to make shots from outside, sinking three of his four three-point attempts on the way to a team-high 16 points for the game.

In the paint, senior forward Garrison Brooks rebounded from a poor performance in Wednesday’s season opener with 14 points and seven rebounds. Brooks’ partner in the starting lineup–sophomore Armando Bacot–converted all four of his shots from the field and all four of his free throws on the way to 12 points and five rebounds.

Freshman Walker Kessler also showed flashes of brilliance in the 14 minutes he got to see the floor, using his 7-foot-1-inch frame to rack up seven points and six rebounds of his own.

The Tar Heels’ distinct size advantage allowed them to win the rebounding battle by a resounding 54-35 margin. Without much to offer inside, UNLV attempted 37 of its 62 shots from three-point range–converting on just eight.

UNC also held the Rebels to just six made shots and 21 points in the second half as the game turned into a blowout rather quickly.

“They’re not the biggest team in the world, so we kind of used that to our advantage,” Platek said. “They shoot a lot of threes anyway, but they weren’t getting anything inside–so that helped us.”

Up Next:

The Tar Heels will take on the winner of Monday’s late game between Stanford and Alabama. Tuesday’s Maui Invitational semifinal game is scheduled for 4 p.m.

Game Notes:

Garrison Brooks surpassed the 1,000 point mark for his career as a Tar Heel, becoming the 78th player in school history to do so. UNC has had more 1,000-point scorers than any other program. Louisville is in second place with 69.
After an impressive debut on Wednesday, UNC freshman forward Day’Ron Sharpe was hampered by foul trouble and four turnovers against UNLV. He ended the night with just one point and six rebounds.
Freshman point guard Caleb Love struggled to find his shot (2-9 FG, 0-5 3PT), but led the Tar Heels defensively with three blocked shots.
UNC has gone on to win the national championship each of the last three times it has won the Maui Invitational.

FINAL BOX SCORE

Photo via Maui Invitational

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No. 14 UNC Cruises Past UNLV Into Maui Invitational Semifinals

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