Click!
I really don’t have much to say. Having watched the entire game and looked at the box score I am hard pressed to find a whole lot wrong with the way UNC played. Yeah, BC hit 13 threes but the perimeter shot was their entire offense and I felt like UNC at least made them work for it. Outside of that, UNC played an outstanding game on both ends of the court. The offense in particular was good from start to finish. C.Michael should have a lot of fun trying to figure out a player of the game because there were several players who had excellent performances. Among them:
Harrison Barnes: 26 points, 6 rebs, 4-7 from three. A second career high in as many games.
Reggie Bullock: 16 points, 4-7 from three, all in a row. Shades of Danny Freaking Green coming off the bench.
Kendall Marshall/Larry Drew: 7 points, 15 assists, 3 turnovers. That’s a 5.0 A/TO.
Tyler Zeller: 18 points, six rebs, three steals which led to UNC transition baskets.
John Henson: 13 points, six rebs, two blocks and was in the head of the BC players enough that threw up bad shots often.
I guess we have our answer as to whether Harrison Barnes has finally arrived. Now I realize Boston College has a defense ranked by KenPom in the mid-200s. However there is something to be said for (1) posting a 141.3 offensive efficiency rating and (2) doing it on the road. Yes, it was a porous defense but simple execution has not always been easy for this group. To see UNC play this well on offense and have it keyed in part by the defense is still impressive. Sunday versus FSU and next week versus Duke will be tougher. However this is how a team builds confidence by winning the games they should in dominant fashion.
So what’s next? Enjoying this win tonight and getting back to work after an off day to take care of business versus Florida St. With all the struggles of last season the fact this crew is 6-1 in the ACC begs the question of how they will handle prosperity. The first five ACC games had three wins in which UNC trailed by double digits and needed a rally to win. The past two games have been dominating performances by the Heels. Clearly the confidence is there. Clearly something has clicked with everyone. Having Barnes playing up to the hype is obviously huge but it is a combination of everyone fitting nicely into their roles now. Heck, Larry Drew is as good as he has been all season and Kendall Marshall probably played his best game as a starter in this one. You also have guys like Justin Knox showing improved offensive skills.
This team looks like it is coming together but there is still plenty of work to do. So cautious optimism is probably the best approach. However that does not mean you cannot enjoy the ride because it is really starting to get fun.
