With freshman center Tony Bradley out with a concussion on Saturday, UNC head coach Roy Williams was left short on big men for the 11th-ranked Tar Heels’ big-time matchup with No. 9 Florida State.
It ended up making no difference, as Williams went with a small-ball approach that ultimately carried UNC to a 96-83 win over the ACC leaders–in front of a raucous Dean Dome crowd.
It’s not often when three players combine for over two-thirds of their team’s points and become afterthoughts. But that’s exactly what happened for UNC on Saturday.
Point guard Joel Berry hit a number of clutch shots on his way to a 26-point performance, while Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks each added 22 apiece.
What matters most, though, isn’t just the fact that they scored those points. It’s how they scored those points.
Head coach Roy Williams was forced into making decisions that stray away from the type of playing style he typically prefers–a tough task against a Florida State team that’s one of the tallest in the ACC. (Todd Melet)
Down to just Hicks, Kennedy Meeks and reserve Luke Maye as the only available post players, Williams had no choice but to use Jackson and Theo Pinson—natural wing players—as his de facto big men at different times.
For the last couple minutes of the first half—with Hicks, Meeks and Maye each battling foul trouble—the coach played Jackson at power forward with the 6-foot-6 Pinson as the center, a lineup they’ve never even used in practice.
The small lineups, however, allowed UNC (16-3, 4-1 ACC) to gain a quickness advantage it used time and time again to manufacture offense against the much-bigger Seminoles.
“Some weird lineups out there,” Williams told reporters after the game. “First time in 29 years as a coach that I’ve ever had five guys out there with no post player.
“But we had Kennedy with two [fouls], Luke with two, Isaiah with two,” he continued. “I wanted to have them at the end of the game as opposed to the last two minutes of the first half. The guys we had in there at that point, I thought they really did a nice job.”
The Tar Heels held on to the lead for the final 26 minutes, but as the day wore on Florida State (16-2, 4-1 ACC) mounted a comeback behind star freshman Jonathan Isaac—a man that stands 6-foot-10 but has the ability to dribble and shoot the ball from deep.
Justin Jackson’s ability to spread the floor with his shooting continued to play a major role for the UNC offense. (Todd Melet)
Alongside 7-foot, 300-pound center Michael Ojo, Isaac also provided UNC with a sizable obstacle on the defensive end.
This is where Pinson’s playmaking and Jackson’s shot making became so critical—as the Tar Heels were then able to spread the floor, open lanes to the hoop and create rebounding space.
In just his third game back from a broken foot, Pinson put together a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He did this while at times filling a role he rarely practices, and with no heads-up from Williams before the decision was made to do so.
“He didn’t tell us at the beginning,” Pinson said, of Williams’ decision to use him as a center. “He was just like, ‘Theo, you’re the five.’
“I was like, ‘Alright, let’s go then,’” he added. “I take that as a challenge. I don’t care about how big you are. I told him before I went out there, ‘Ojo’s mine.’”
Pinson’s sideline dancing and gregarious personality often provide the Tar Heels with energy–even when nothing else will.
With that in mind, it’s no secret why on multiple occasions Saturday the already frenzied atmosphere actually found a way to get louder whenever Pinson made slick passes or slammed home his first dunk of the season.
As critical as Pinson’s contributions were to the winning cause, though, Luke Maye’s were just as important.
It was more common to see the Tar Heels using lineups with Pinson or Jackson at power forward with the 6-foot-8 Maye in the middle. Despite some turnover issues early on, Maye battled for a game and career-high 15 rebounds.
Luke Maye’s career-high 15 rebounds off the bench was perhaps UNC’s most important statistic against Florida State. (Todd Melet)
This was the one area where Bradley’s presence would be missed the most—and Maye joined Pinson in making that a non-factor.
“Being able to be versatile and play some different lineups is big because whoever’s playing best is who Coach is gonna put out there,” Maye said. “Tonight, Kennedy and Isaiah got a couple fouls so I had to come in there and give us some good minutes.”
UNC’s win dropped Florida State into a tie with the Tar Heels for second in the ACC behind Notre Dame—the lone unbeaten team in conference play.
It should provide a solid building block for the Tar Heels moving forward, as well, since they’ve now shown an ability to successfully adapt on-the-fly against top-level teams.
Obviously small-ball won’t become the norm for a team that traditionally relies on its post presence, but for one game at least—Williams’ decisions made all the difference.
“I feel really good about a win over a really, really good team,” Williams said, before complimenting Florida State head coach Leonard Hamilton. “Leonard’s teams have always been known for what they do on the defensive end and for their athleticism, but they’re really a smart team too.
“They don’t make many mistakes,” he added. “You’ve gotta be lucky.”
Up Next:
The Tar Heels will have a one-day break before returning to game action on Monday, with a home game against Syracuse.
Game Notes:
- This was the first time three Tar Heels scored 20 points since Mar. 18, 2011 against LIU in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. Tyler Zeller (32), John Henson (28) and Harrison Barnes (24) were the players involved.
- The Tar Heels entered the game No. 1 in the nation in rebounding margin and out-rebounded the Seminoles by 22. The previous high for rebounding margin against FSU this year was 10 when George Washington out-rebounded FSU, 52-42.
- Pinson’s double-double was the first of his career.
- It was also the fourth consecutive game UNC has shot at least 40 percent from three-point range. UNC hasn’t done that in four straight games since 2011.
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