The exhibition season ended successfully for the eighth-ranked UNC men’s basketball team on Friday night at the Dean E. Smith Center, with five players scoring in double figures to lift the Tar Heels to a 107-64 victory over Mt. Olive.

Sophomore forward Garrison Brooks led all players with 16 points and 16 rebounds for the Tar Heels, who recovered from a slow start to build a commanding 54-25 lead at halftime.

UNC also received 15 points from senior guard Kenny Williams, 11 points apiece from Nassir Little and Cameron Johnson and 10 from freshman Coby White–who started the game at point guard.

With head coach Roy Williams cycling through his lineups heavily early into the game, the Tar Heels were ahead only 14-13 over the first seven minutes.

From there, the talent level became too much. UNC asserted itself on the rebounds to the tune of a 69-36 advantage on the glass and 25 second-chance points.

The Tar Heels main problem area was ball security, as they committed 22 turnovers against a team that was heavily overmatched compared to dishing out 26 assists–a ratio that is less than ideal.

“I was extremely disappointed with 26 assists and 22 turnovers,” Roy Williams said afterwards. “That’s one of the three things we’ve been emphasizing more than anything else this preseason, is not turning the ball over so we’ve got to do a better job there.”

Up Next:

UNC opens the regular season on the road at Wofford this upcoming Tuesday. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

 

 

Photo via Todd Melet