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Coby White did not have the most efficient shooting night on Thursday. He shot 7-17 from the floor in total, and just 1-8 from three. He just happened to make up for that by doing nearly everything else well.
Despite the efficiency, White still tied for UNC’s leading scorer with 19 points, but also finished with seven rebounds, six assists, one steal, and just one turnover. As you can tell by the 1-8 from three stat, they weren’t falling for him against Louisville. So White made up for it by attacking and getting into the lane. He scored 10 of his points on layups, and was fouled a couple of times while doing so, going a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line.
After Cameron Johnson led the way early for the Tar Heels, White scored five points in a key run that extended Carolina’s lead to ten going into halftime. He then either scored or assisted on nine of UNC’s first 13 points in the second half. At that point, the Tar Heels were up 12. While Louisville was able to chip into that, the cushion was enough Carolina built up was enough. UNC cruised down the stretch to finish off a 83-70 quarterfinal win.
Other players who deserve some acknowledgement in this conversation include Luke Maye. The senior was the other Tar Heel to finish with 19 points. He did it on 7-12 shooting, while also grabbing nine rebounds.
As mentioned, Cam Johnson was the key player early on for UNC. He finished with 14 points, all of which came in the first half. His overall numbers don’t look as good as others, but his 6-8 performance in the first half was also key to the lead the Tar Heels took into the break.
Last but not least is Brandon Robinson. He only played 16 minutes, but finished tops in terms of plus/minus with +16. He scored seven points, and was a perfect 2-2 from the floor, while also finishing with four rebounds and two assists.
We’ve seen that White can be a marksman this season, and while he wasn’t drilling threes, he was still really effective. You can’t always assume that shots will fall. That’s especially so against the good competition he’ll face this week and in the NCAA Tournament. Against Louisville, he showed that he’s more than capable of doing more than knocking down threes.