I am guessing the week off wasn't nearly as much issue when it came to rust as everyone thought it would be. UNC crushed East Tennessee State out of the gate leading at one point in the first half 34-4 on the way to a 42-12 halftime lead. After intermission things were a little sloppier as the Tar Heels took the foot off the gas. Still it was a 76-42 game when Roy Williams put the walk-ons in to close out an easy win.

Leslie McDonald led the way for a second straight game with 14 points. Brice Johnson had 12 and Reggie Bullock with ten points followed by multiple Tar Heels chipping in points. The balanced offensive attack was not surprising considering UNC had 30 assists on 31 field goals. While that was impressive, UNC only shot 42% from the floor for the game, didn't appear to be all that crisp on the offensive end. and took 31 threes despite having a significant size advantage against the Bucanneers. Obviously that speaks to how this team is built and it is more dependent on outside shooting than a strong interior offense as seen on past Roy Williams teams. The rebounding was also not as dominant as it could have been. The Heels won the rebounding battle 45-41 however giving up 41 boards to an undersized team

While there is not much you can glean from this game, it should be noted that both Leslie McDonald and P.J. Hairston are looking more and more comfortable coming off the bench to provide extra offensive firepower. Will that carry over in the ACC? That remains to be seen. McDonald was 4-8 from three with Hairston going 2-6. Likewise, Brice Johnson has been impressive on offense. Does his level play continue or will his defense be a obstacle to more playing time? These are some of the questions that still answers which is not likely for a few weeks yet. UNC has another week break before facing East Carolina then it is off to play Texas on the road.

Buccaneers vs Tar Heels boxscore