Heel Tough Blog: USC Upstate Recap

@UNC_Basketball

It wasn’t the best effort we’ve seen from the Tar Heels this season, but it was still good enough to earn an 80-62 win over USC Upstate, on a day where Carolina certainly didn’t play their best. Caleb Wilson led UNC once again, with his ACC-leading 7th double-double of the season, scoring 20 points, and grabbing 11 rebounds. He was 6-7 from the field, with a couple of highlight dunks, in the process. He would’ve had more points had he converted at the foul line, where he was just 7-13. Wilson was one of four UNC players to score in double figures, followed by Jonathan Powell’s 17 points off the bench, tying a career-high he set while at West Virginia. Powell was efficient, scoring his 24 points on 6-9 shooting, including going 3-6 from behind the arc. Luka Bogavac had arguably his most complete game as a Tar Heel, compiling a 15-point, 5-rebound, 5-assist stat line, while going 6-11 from the field, and 3-6 from behind the arc. The last Tar Heel in double figures was Henri Veesaar, who was a rebound shy of a double-double, totalling 14 points, 9 rebounds in 30 minutes. Those guys paced an offense that shot 51% from the field, 43% from the perimeter, and averaged 1.3 points per possession in the win. 

The reason that you come away from this game with an unsatisfied feeling is the fact that Carolina failed to put the game away, up until the final media timeout of the game. In fact, Carolina actually trailed 21-20 at the under-8 timeout in the first half, before ripping off a 14-0 run to take back control of the game. A big reason why the Spartans were able to hang around was in large part due to their ability to make timely threes, going 10-27, as six different Upstate players made at least one three. Combine that with their ability to battle on the glass, and it allowed the Spartans to be more competitive than anyone would’ve thought entering the game. The box score would suggest that Carolina played well defensively, holding the opponent to 38% shooting from the field, and just .984 points per possession, but there were a lot of defensive possessions that will be pointed out on film that need to be better. 

The post-exam game always worried Roy Williams the most when he led the UNC program, wondering where his team’s mindset was at nearing the holiday break. Today certainly had the look and the feel of a team that hadn’t played in a week and knew they were better than the opponent they were facing off against. Which should make for some spirited practices ahead of Tuesday’s home game against another mid-major opponent, ETSU. Here’s what to take away from an uneven win over USC Upstate: 

1. Too Much Inside: As expected, Upstate had no answer for either Caleb Wilson or Henri Veesar, who combined to score 34 points and grab 20 rebounds on 11-18 shooting. Veesaar appeared headed towards his sixth double-double of the season, after posting 10 points and 8 rebounds in the first half, but instead settled for a 14-point, 9-rebound performance. It was Caleb Wilson who had the big second half, scoring 12 points and grabbing 5 rebounds, on his way to an ACC-best 7th double-double. Had Wilson been more efficient at the foul line, he could’ve had his best scoring output as a Tar Heel, but nonetheless, this duo continues to carry Carolina on a nightly basis, proving they are as reliable as any two players on the roster, in the ACC, and in the country. 

2. Powell Leads Solid Bench Effort: We’ve been waiting to see the Jonathan Powell that got him on UNC’s radar when he entered the transfer portal last off-season, and it finally showed up today. Powell scored 17 points off the bench, in 24 minutes, on a crisp 6-9 shooting from the field, 3-6 from behind the arc, and 2-3 from the foul line. He paced a bench that provided more scoring punch than we’ve seen for the majority of the season, with Derek Dixon (3), Jaydon Young (3), and James Brown (2) all scored as well. Hubert Davis is still seeking answers at the backup 5 spot, and while today didn’t provide clarity, Brown did impact the game with his energy and effort when called upon. It will be interesting to see how Jaydon Young builds off his performance today because Carolina would benefit greatly from having his shooting on the floor. 

3. Kyan Evans & Derek Dixon: Hubert Davis continues to juggle the minutes between Kyan Evans and Derek Dixon, while playing them both together, and today neither had big showings. Evans scored just 2 points in 23 minutes, but was a +12 for the game. After scoring 14 points last Sunday against Georgetown, Dixon scored 3 points today and was 1-4 in 21 minutes. This level of production is enough to beat a team picked to finish last in the Big South, but Carolina needs more consistently from its guards, even when Seth Trimble returns, which could be as early as next week. The two did combine to hand out 9 assists against 2 turnovers, which does make up for the lack of scoring today. 

4. Luka Settling In: Caleb Wilson may have led Carolina in scoring, but Luka Bogavac had the best floor game of any Tar Heel, scoring 15 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and handing out 5 assists, in 32 minutes. He was efficient, shooting 6-11 from the field and 3-6 from behind the arc, as he’s rounding into the player UNC wants and needs him to be. There are times in the halfcourt, where he initiates Carolina’s set, especially when they want to use either Wilson or Veesaar with a high ball screen. His ability to either drive and finish or find the open man is proof that Hubert Davis is capable of maximizing his unique skill set. His continued adjustment to the college game has been to watch, and it appears he’s rounding into form with conference play on the horizon. 

5. Special Teams: When you look at the stat sheet, UNC controlled all the secondary stats, outside of second-chance points, where they both had 11 each. Outside of that, Carolina outscored Upstate in the paint (30-22), in the fast break (10-4), and bench points (25-14). 

6. Killer Instinct: Carolina entered the game as 22.5-point favorites according to ESPN Bet, but they failed to cover the spread, winning by 18. The one complaint from today’s game is that Carolina never put the game away until the final media timeout. UNC trailed at the under-8 timeout in the first half, 21-20, and they led just 58-50 at the under-8 timeout in the second half. Against other mid-major opponents, Carolina has been able to put teams away late in the first half or early in the second half, but that wasn’t the case today, to the angst of the Tar Heel faithful in attendance for today’s game. Expect a more focused and inspired effort on Tuesday night, against ETSU. 

Up Next: Carolina is back home on Tuesday night, when they host East Tennessee State University at 8 PM on the ACC Network.