So this game is rolling along with NC Central hanging right in there at 19-17 following a pair of Eagle three pointers. Then UNC spent the next 12 minutes crushing the life out of the Eagles to take a 51-20 lead at the half. In case you forgot basic math, that is a 32-3 run by the Heels. UNC dominated every aspect of this game despite another high turnover affair. Overall, the Heels looked more comfortable in their own skin versus the opener against FIU. The offense seemed more efficient and the fast break was better. On the defensive side of the ball, UNC completely destroyed NCCU which was as much a matter of being so much bigger than anything else.
Among the individual performances that stood out, obviously Marcus Ginyard 17 point performance is encouraging. Ginyard also chipped in three assists, three rebounds(all offensive) and two steals. Tyler Zeller was perfect from the field on his way to a 12 point, five rebound night. Deon Thompson was the only other Tar Heel in double figures with 13 points and six board. The rest of the scoring was filled out by nine other Heels which leads to the inevitable conclusion that this team is searching for an identity on offense. Obviously the lack of established scorers alongside inexperienced players equates to an offense in development. UNC has 29 assists on 35 field goals and seeming everyone on the court scoring at some point. The nature of the offense appears to be predicated on spreading things around to multiple players. At some point a few players, probably Thompson, Ginyard, Zeller and Ed Davis will emerge as the preferred options with Larry Drew, John Henson and possibly Dexter Strickland contributing as well. Speaking of Strickland, the freshman looked much better committing only two turnovers versus three assists and scoring nine points. Strickland showcased his long range jumper and knocked down some perimeter shots. Likewise Leslie McDonald and Justin Watts made some waves offensively scoring seven apiece.
The other slightly troublesome issue I saw was with John Henson. The much ballyhooed freshman continues to be an enigma. I will say this, his freakish athleticism was not exaggerated. Henson is everything Ginyard said he was in terms of the “wow” factor. He was blocking shots, sometimes coming out of nowhere and the near reverse dunk on the alley-oop would have been absoultely nasty had he thrown it down. Still, I think we all expected more from Henson it has not panned out. At some point you hope the light just goes on and Henson steps up his game. No sign that will happen any time soon. However, I think Henson was better tonight than Monday and hopefully that progression will continue.
In short, UNC looked better on offense and the defense was solid albeit against a team that never stood a chance of challenging the Heels. That will not be the case Sunday against Valpo. Fortunately UNC has a chance to get two full practices in before that game and as Roy pointed out postgame, having some game film to look at will aid in the learning process for the players since it will afford them a visual of what the coaches want. What happens on Sunday will constituted the first real test this team has faced since Valpo is well coached and easily more talented than the first two opponents.
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6 TO’s in the 1st half was the key for me. Things got sloppy in the second half, but that is somewhat expected when you have a working margin of 40-50 points.
Another encouraging sign was the way the “blue team,” played when Roy put them in at the start of the second half (7-2) and then then way the starters responded when they come back. In the past, Roy would do that primarily to make a point, because it usually meant putting 1-2 walkons on the court. Now, Roy can send a message while still playing the equivalent of a top-15 starting lineup. That is a weapon.
Great summation THF.
In regard to Henson, clearly Roy is hiding him from the NBA…;-)
I think its a little early to be getting on Henson. His stat line-4 pts/3 reb/4 assists/3 blocks in 13 min. Not bad.
Weren’t there reports that Henson has been bothered by one of his shoulders, too? That may be part of the reason why he only played 13 minutes.
I guess all eyes will be on Ames, Iowa tomorrow at 4PM. Read an article on WRAL.com that says Barnes will be a Tar Heel
I have heard so much talk, opining, and general conversation about how much Henson reminded scouts of Kevin Durant. That may have been much of an overstatement, but he looks like he still can bring a lot to the table in terms of his height, passing ability (due to his heighth), ability to hit mid-range jumpers, and ability to rebound & block.
What I want to see develop from these freshmen is for a player to emerge that can drive the ball, or drive the ball and stop-n-pop a pullup jumper, kind of like what Rashad McCants and Wayne Ellington were so good at doing. I hope that will be the form that Strickland will take on.
All in all a pretty good freshmen class, and each individual has shown some promise of what they could be like when they are able to perform that way consistently. BUT, this is not like the 06 class of Ellington/Lawson/B. Wright where you knew right off the bat (based on first 3 games played) they were bonafide stars with a legitimate shot of winning it all, and first round draft picks.
Maybe this is a good thing for us though.
Henson is skinny, as in Manute Bol-skinny. He is very athletic but is a wing on an inside oriented team. Once Jonas gets some meat on his bones he will be really good. That’s not happening this year, however. He will contribute but, at the moment, is not as far along as the Wear twins, who will occupy some of his minutes.
We also saw in last night’s game the beginnings of Will Graves’s return to the end of the bench. He may end up playing behind Justin Watts. There is too much talent on this team to give playing time to a guy whose effort is inconsistent.
IMO, the Durant comparisons were never fair; they are two completely different players, who happen to be 6’10, beanpole thin, small forwards.
Durant is an offensive genius. Henson, (and many others) do not possess anything close to Durant’s ability as a shooter or scorer. However, Henson may be a more well-rounded player. He is far better defensively than Durant was (or is, honestly) and appears to be a more natural playmaker than Durant is. Henson’s game, to me, is much more reminiscent of Scottie Pippen’s, which at 6’10 (and maybe still growing), is frightening to think about.
The reverse dunk Henson missed was a combination of timing and a low pass from what I could tell. I think the thing with him is that as others have said he’s been so hyped by everyone that we expected to see an S on his chest when he took his warmups off. What I have seen is a player with huge potential that is quick to the ball on defense and long enough to block or alter several shots a game. I think we’ll see what we expected to see pretty soon. Or maybe ol Roy really is hiding him from the NBA,
Otherwise it was a pretty efficient game for the Heels other than the second half sloppiness. It’ll be interesting to see how they fare this Sunday against a higher level of competition but I still think everything will come from our defense this year. They have the ability to be an outstanding defensive team.
BlueBlood,
I saw that, too. For those who haven’t here it is:
http://www.wralsportsfan.com/college_basketball/story/6398015/
Basically, CJ Leslie is claiming that UNC has stopped recruiting him b/c they expect to get Barnes.
While at the surface this seems reasonable, it’s really nothing more than speculation from an 18-year old. There are any number of reasons why UNC may have stopped recruiting Lesie (if they even have) and I find it unlikely that Roy or his staff would actually tell a recruit that they were withdrawing interest because they THINK they are getting another player.
I see the same raw talent and atheleticism in Henson that we saw in Brandon Wright and Marvin Williams. By mid-season I think he’ll be the highlight of the box score (points, boards, assists, blocks). Just give him time.
Henson’s abilities are enormous. I saw him last night just measuring guys to block their shot. He is able to do so many things I think he gets confused out there. Not because he is lost but because he has so many options. He also appears nervous.
He has to learn how he’s going to attack a zone like NCCU played last night. I don’t want him taking too many jumpers, his shot looks raw. And I did not see an ability to drive by people. The coaches are going to have to figure out how to help him use his height to play a mid-range game against the zone.
I was happy to see the Freshmen starting to look a little more comfortable in their play last night. My biggest relief was to see the outside shooting looking good. I think it’s clear the biggest obstacle for this team to get to the top is the backcourt. Our frontcourt players were really good without the freshmen, they could be incredible by the end of the year. Hopefully Ginyard can help Drew, Strickland, and the other guards get ready for the big games coming up.
I think Henson will be just fine, even with only 3/7 from the field so far. I was able to see him play a lot at the pro am this summer where he was able to drive to the basket from the perimeter (extremely well for his size), post up on the block and even hit some mid range/perimeter shots. I know summer leagues are a differrent style of basketball, but it looked like the skill was there.
The past two games he’s looked very very hesitant to look for his shot…(penetrate or pull up)…and just throws the ball inside or swings it around. When he did shoot, it looked like he rushed his shots. I think as the frosh jitters settle down, he’ll feel more comfortable attacking offensively. That goes for the other freshmen too. Against Belmont Abbey, Dex looked to pass a lot and didn’t slash/go for his pull up. Last night, he looked more comfortable and took some good shots.
Until he settles down and opens up, Henson’s still had a total of 4 blks, 1 steal, 6 Ast and 1 TO in 12.5 min/gm.
Mason Plumlee (Duke’s prized freshman) broke his wrist in practice yesterday and is out indefinitely (no surgery). Huge loss for Duke.
Rivalry or not, you hate to see that…
I didn’t see them, but kind of harsh on Henson for the second game. Kind of like judging Lawson by the BC and Wake games last year–yes I am guilty.
That falls in the Buddhist category of right thinking, C. Michael, which means that we are indeed supposed to hate that and even if someone doesn’t, he should claim to.
“and even if someone doesn’t, he should claim to.”
OK, I can do THAT.
Sorry to hear that for the youngster. Hopefully he can return and play some this year. I’m sure Zeller could refer him to a good doctor.
As for hating it for dook, that’s another story. I’m torn on that one. I hate to see them do anything well but I’d rather there be no excuses when we beat them.
Thompson and Ginyard look settled and ready for the serious season already. Drew is gaining confidence. Zeller looks pretty nervous, but becoming more steady. That leaves about 8 guys who are trying to figure in the lineup. And most of them are 6’9″+. And fast, quick and motivated. There are going to be turnovers and lots of mistakes. But enthusiasm and effort are there. So I wouldn’t want to see UNC on my schedule!
As hyped as Mason is, I think Ryan Kelly is better. I don’t think it’ll be that huge of a loss. And his bro is the self proclaimed fastest 6-10 bball player of all time or something anyways, right?