Heel Tough Blog: St. Bonaventure Recap (Fort Myers Tip-Off)

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Behind a career night from Henri Veesaar, the Tar Heels got past a feisty St. Bonaventure squad, 85-70, to secure their first start 6-0, since the 2016-17 season, the last time Carolina won the national championship. Many nights early on this season, Caleb Wilson has been the best player for UNC, but last night that title went to Veesaar, who scored a career high 24 points and grabbed a career high 13 rebounds, for the third double-double of his career, all coming at UNC. Speaking of Caleb Wilson, he also produced another double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for another big outing, despite shooting just 5-13 from the field. While the two big men carried Carolina, two other starters scored in double figures, including Kyan Evans, who added 11 points on 4-5 shooting, and Luka Bogavac added 10, on 3-9 shooting. For the game, Carolina was very efficient on the offensive end, shooting 51% from the field, 44% from behind the arc, and 78% from the foul line. 

It was only a 35-33 lead for Carolina at the half, after Carolina raced out to a double-digit lead early, before the Bonnies fought back to tie it at 28. A big reason for the game being close was the turnovers that Carolina committed, as they gave it away 11 times in the first 20 minutes. In the second half? Carolina gave it away just twice, and UNC outscored the Bonnies 50-37. Those turnovers led to a visible look of frustration from head coach Hubert Davis, who would’ve liked to see his team value the basketball better after a week off. For what it’s worth, though, this team, which is still learning how to pay with one another, has shown the ability to put a less-than-stellar first half behind them and respond in a big way in the second half. 

Last night was the first time Carolina has played away from home, after the longest season-opening homestand to start a season, since 1918-1919, and Carolina handled a new environment quite well. It’s always a challenge to see how teams handle playing in these holiday events, given the lack of energy that could be in the arena at times. Here’s what to take away from the win over the Bonnies: 

1. Veesaar Dominates: Some have questioned how Veesaar will do against physical bigs, but last night should’ve lessened those concerns, after he controlled the paint, with 24 points and 13 rebounds. Frank Mitchell was able to muscle in some shots near or at the rim, but Veesaar manned that area all night long. He was the most visibly frustrated player after the Navy win, which prompted a team meeting after the game, and last night, Veesaar played with an energy and emotion that took his game to another level. He scored in a variety of ways, including dunks, threes, a turnaround shot on the baseline, getting the foul line, and more, showing the offensive versatility for the first time this season. After last night’s effort, he’s averaging 16.3 points, 8.7 rebounds, on 64% shooting. That’ll do. 

2. Don’t Double Team Wilson: You saw Caleb Wilson grow in a specific area during the game last night, as St. Bonaventure threw multiple double teams at him, sometimes having both bigs crash down on him, other times having a guard shift down and double team. He struggled in the first half, trying to make plays through the double team, before adjusting in the second half and being more of a passer out of those situations, which led to open perimeter shots for his teammates. Even on a night where he was just 5-13 from the field, he totalled 20 points and 12 rebounds by getting to the foul line and converting 10-10 from the charity stripe. His ability to adapt within a game to how he’s being guarded is just another example of where his IQ is at for a player his age, as he continues to impress at every turn.  

3. Dominate on the Glass: The Bonnies entered the game 6th in the country in offensive rebound percentage, grabbing well over 40% of their misses entering last night’s game, but that didn’t translate against Carolina. Instead, the Bonnies grabbed just 11 of their misses last night. Between Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, they combined to grab 30 of their 40 total rebounds, which was seven rebounds less than their average, which was top-10 in the sport. That’s the benefit of having three players 6-10 or taller in the starting lineup, and why that lineup will play many minutes once Seth Trimble returns. 

4. Efficient Offense: We’ve been waiting to see Carolina play a complete game offensively, and they delivered last night. Carolina shot 51% from the field, 44% from behind the arc on 8 makes, and 78% from the foul line, on 21 makes. Now there are still lulls for the team, especially when Caleb Wilson exits the game, but the offensive output we saw last night is what we expected to see when this roster was finalized over the summer. That’s the style of offense we saw in the second half against Kansas, and that’s the way they’ll need to play on Thursday against Michigan State. 

5. First Half Turnovers: The biggest thing that stood out last night is that this team is still struggling with first-half turnovers, something that needs to get cleaned up, with back-to-back ranked opponents on the schedule. Carolina turned it over 11 times in the first 20 minutes, which led to 10 points for St. Bonaventure. In the second half, Carolina turned it over just three times, and the Bonnies failed to score any points off of them. 

6. Rotation: A lot of UNC fans were frustrated with Hubert Davis’s rotation last night, especially in the first half, when an extended period of play featuring Derek Dixon and Jonathon Powell allowed the Bonnies to get back into the game. What’s adding to the frustration is the lack of production coming off the bench. Powell played 18 minutes, but managed just one point. Derek Dixon added 5 points in 15 minutes. While Zayden High and Isaiah Denis were the other reserves to score in the game. If the bench is only going to produce that type of production more often than not, it’ll be harder for Hubert Davis to play them for an extended period of time, which wasn’t the plan when the season began. 

Up Next: Carolina is back in action on Thursday, when they take on Michigan State at 4:30 on FOX. 

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