Heel Tough Blog: Wake Forest Recap

Cory Knowlton- Getty Images

The Tar Heels picked up their 500th win in Smith Center, but it was far from as easy as it should have been against Wake Forest.

The Tar Heels got off to a fast start, racing out to a 14-4 lead early in the game, causing Wake to call timeout. Behind big halves from their two big men, the Tar Heels were able to control the first half despite allowing eight threes and turning the ball over eight times and led the game 49-38 at the half.

After both teams started the second half fast from the field, the Tar Heels offense went cold while the Demon Deacons stayed hot from the field and narrowed the lead down to as little as one point in the final minutes, leaving the game to be determined at the foul line. Despite some more struggles there during this game, the team was able to make the free throws they needed to so that they could come away with a 87-84 victory.

The Tar Heels had some outstanding offensive performances in this game, led by the big men who had another big day after a relatively quiet performance for them in the game against SMU. Henri Veesar led the way for the team as he scored 25 points on 9 of 10 shooting, including two of three from deep and pulled down nine rebounds, falling just shy of a double-double. Meanwhile, freshman Caleb Wilson nearly had a double-double in the first half and finished the night with one, as he dropped 22 points on 8 of 9 from the field and ripping down 12 rebounds, including five offensive rebounds, which led to some nice second chance opportunities. The biggest surprise of the day came from Jaydon Young, who scored 12 points on 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 5 from the outside off the bench, potentially earning himself a role moving forward. Seth Trimble was the other Tar Heel to score in double figures as he finished with 10 points on 3 of 7 from the field.

1. Bigs Dominate: This was the hope going into the game with the size advantage and it was exactly what happened. It was Wilson who dominated the first half, scoring 14 and pulling down 9 rebounds to help set the tone early for the Tar Heels. After halftime, it was Veesar who was carrying the team on the offensive end, as he scored 14 points and pulled in a team-high four rebounds for a team that really struggled to score it at times in the second half.

2. Jaydon Young Steps Up: Coming into the day, Young was averaging just 1.5 points in 5.5 minutes per game but that changed on Saturday. Young not only played 20 minutes, but was a part of the closing lineup for the team in large part because of what he was doing on the defensive end of the floor. Offensively, he was contributing as well, though, as it seemed every 3-pointer hit was a big one. With the Tar Heels still searching for answers off the bench, Young might just be ready to earn himself a bigger role with the team moving forward.

3. Defense Struggles Again: Coming into the game against SMU, the Tar Heels ranked as the second-best defense in the country in terms of field goal percentage allowed, but that is certainly no longer the case. For a second straight game, the team was dominated on that end of the floor in the second half, as they allowed the Demon Deacons to shoot 53.3% in the second half and Nate Calmese to do whatever he wanted. A big problem again throughout the day was how they were defending the 3-point line, as they allowed the Demon Deacons to hit 14 threes, tied for the most they’ve given up all season with the game last Saturday against SMU. While most of this is a lack of execution from guys that were playing so much better earlier in the season, there is some responsibility that has to fall on Hubert Davis, who simply did nothing again to take Wake out of rhythm on that end of the floor. Right now, things are trending in a poor direction on that end of the floor and they have to find a way to get it back on track with more talented offensive teams lying ahead on the schedule.

4. Offense Limps to the Finish: The Tar Heel defense was not the only group that struggled in the second half on Saturday. While they got off to a hot start in the second half, the offense fell apart in the final nine minutes and it changed the game completely. After hitting eight shots in the first 11:10 of the half, the Tar Heels would manage just two field goals the rest of the way in large part because of the fact that the team could not get touches for the bigs inside. The team was lucky that its free throw shooting bailed them out or else this could have ended up being a second straight loss.

5. Free Throw Shooting Pushes Tar Heels Over the Finish Line: Don’t get it wrong; things were still difficult in this area for most of the day, but the team did just enough at the foul line to get this one home. As a team, they only shot 20-30 from the foul line, but it was guys like Seth Trimble and Jarin Stevenson late who made the free throws that were crucial to propel Carolina to victory. The staff still needs to be working on this area of the game with the team, but it was the only reason they escaped with a victory on Saturday.