Heel Tough Blog: Wofford Recap
Everyone, take a deep breath; the Tar Heels are going to be okay under the direction of new head coach Michael Malone. Heading into last night’s game, it was unknown where the Tar Heels stood after having to squeak out a win over Western Carolina on Monday to open the season, but after last night’s dispatching of Wofford, there should be confidence that this is a team on the verge of finding itself. The Terriers entered the game with more expectations for 2026-27 than Western Carolina did, as Wofford was picked to finish third in the SoCon, as opposed to eighth like Monday’s opponent. Furthermore, Wofford’s roster featured two All-SoCon-caliber players, whereas the Catamounts had none, but you would’ve never thought that, by the way, Carolina controlled the game on Friday night. The Heels blitzed Wofford right out of the game, 7-0, and never looked back on their way to a comfortable 51-34 lead at the half and an eventual 109-70 win. Terrence Brown led the charge with 21 points, as he was one of five different Tar Heels to score in double figures, along with Jarin Stevenson (10), Jaydon Young (15), Maximo Adams (11), and Alexandros Samodurov (13). The trio of Young, Adams, and Samodurov off the bench helped fuel the most bench points for UNC with 58, since a road win at Elon back in 2018.
Roy Williams always said that everything looked better when the ball goes in the basket, and while that’s the case, we saw Carolina improve in other areas last night. Michael Malone will love the efficiency of shooting 52% from the field and 40% from behind the arc, but what he’ll love even more are the turnovers, where UNC committed just 8; the fast-break points, where UNC produced 20; and, more importantly, the rebounding, where UNC won the battle of the boards, 49-42. It all adds up to the most complete performance we’ve seen from the Tar Heels under Michael Malone in both preseason and regular-season action, and should invoke confidence that this team, which has 11 new players, will figure out how to play the style of basketball that is expected and demanded from a roster that costs $20 million dollars.
After the win on Monday, Michael Malone talked about his team’s inability to sustain a high level of play, saying that his team takes two steps forward, followed by three steps back. That wasn’t the case last night, as Carolina took a 7-0 lead and never looked back, leading for 39:51. Here’s everything to take away from Carolina’s win last night.
Terrence Brown Dazzles: Carolina’s still trying to find itself with the play of the backcourt, but last night was a step forward. I’ve long believed that Terrence Brown needs to be on the more in favor of Neo Avdalas, and you could see why last night. In only 18 minutes, Brown scored 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, with many acrobatic finishes at the rim, looking like the player UNC recruited out of the transfer portal from Utah. With Avdalas playing off of Brown, he produced a stat line of 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. The more chemistry that the build has, the faster Carolina will play to their potential.
Stevenson Sets the Tone: Malone has asked for Jarin Stevenson to play with more aggression, and he set the tone last night, with a dunk right off the opening tip, as he played a part in the quick 7-0 start for Carolina. Stevenson finished with 10 points and 3 rebounds in 14 minutes, but the limited court time was in large part due to the game being out of hand basically by halftime.
Headband Adams: In his second game as a Tar Heel, Maximo Adams took the court wearing a headband, and after last night’s performance, it should be here to stay. The freshman recorded his first double-double, with 11 points and 11 rebounds, in 22 minutes. Adams has quickly turned into a fan favorite, with his relentless energy and effort, combined with his celebrations after making big-time plays.
Jaydon Young & Alexandros Samodurov: Jaydon Young returned to UNC, with the role he currently has in mind. Young might be a reserve, but he’s counted on to make perimeter shots, and through the first two games, he’s done just that. Last night Young scored 15 points and was 4-for-7 from behind the arc. He had help off the bench in the form of Alexandros Samodurov, who put together his best game as a Tar Heel, scoring 13 points and 7 rebounds in 19 minutes, as he was an efficient 4-for-5 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line. Like any newcomer to UNC, he is adjusting to the style of play in the college game, and he appeared to handle the physical nature, getting knocked down multiple times, but he kept getting back up and competing. If he can become a consistent contributor off the bench, it bodes well for Carolina moving forward.
Rebounding: It took some time for UNC to take control of the boards, but they did so last night, outrebounding Wofford 49-42, including 35-25 on the defensive glass. Wofford still grabbed 17 rebounds, but only converted them into 10 second-chance points, a sign that Carolina’s defense was still connected, even after allowing an offensive rebound. Maximo Adams led UNC with 11 rebounds, but six different Tar Heels registered at least 4 rebounds, and that is the recipe for success for this team to rebound at a high level; it has to be a total effort, and last night it was.
Turnovers: After struggling with turnovers in preseason, Carolina has limited the turnovers in regular season play, only giving the ball 9 times against Western Carolina on Monday, and only 8 turnovers last night. That equated to a 10% turnover percentage, on a night where Carolina scored on 49 of their 77 possessions, and averaged a whopping 1.416 points per possession.
Biscuits: Carolina hit the 100-point threshold for the first time under Michael Malone, and scored more points last night than they ever did under Hubert Davis. That gave the fans biscuits, and big minutes for reserves like Evan Smith and John Holbrook, both of whom either scored or grabbed a rebound. Kevin Thomas also saw his first minutes as a Tar Heel, along with Cade Bennerman.
Cutter Sisk: Did want to give a special shoutout to Wofford big man Cutter Sisk, who scored 27 points off the bench for the Terriers, on 11-18 shooting, including going 2-4 from behind the arc. Cam Lowe and Chace Watley were the two Wofford players to earn preseason SoCon honors, but Cutter Sisk is an emerging player at the mid-major level.
Up Next:
Carolina is back in action on Tuesday night at home against Wyoming. Tip is set for 7 PM on the ACC Network.
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