Getting there was scary late, but UNC is off to an 11-1 start with their win on Saturday.
UNC led for all but just over eight minutes of their CBS Sports Classic game against Ohio State, but the Tar Heels trailed by four points with under a minute after a four-point play for the Buckeyes. They got two huge baskets from Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar to go up one with seven seconds left, and played good defense on a final three-pointer from Ohio State to come away with the 71-70 win. The 11-1 start is UNC’s best since 2008-2009.
The trio of Trimble, Veesaar and Caleb Wilson was nothing short of excellent. They combined for 54 of the team’s 71 points with 17, 17, and 20, respectively. Wilson was held to just four points in the first half before making himself everyone’s problem in the second 20 minutes. Veesaar made two threes, pulled down 10 rebounds, and played with a lot of confidence down low. The importance of Trimble’s return cannot be overstated as he played 36 minutes, made three three-pointers, and played the kind of good defense we’ve come to expect of him. It’s hard to imagine that Carolina wins this game without him.
Jarin Stevenson and Derek Dixon were big factors off the bench for UNC. They played more minutes than Kyan Evans (16 minutes) and Luka Bogavac (13 minutes) and, despite combining for just nine points, had six assists and just one turnover between them. In a very close game, the little decisions matter. Fun fact: Veesaar was the team’s assist leader with five.
Carolina won the game despite the fact that their three-point shooting was not very good (30%) and their lack of effective free throw shooting almost cost them the game (7-13) because, again, every little thing matters in a game this close. Neither team was very careless with the basketball with 13 combined turnovers between them, and rebounds were dead even at 39-39. UNC managed a clear advantage in second chance points (14-7) and bench points (15-0) to help their cause.
Ohio State’s Bruce Thornton came into the game averaging just under 20 points per game and was held to just six in the first half and 10 in the second half with zero three-pointers. The Buckeyes couldn’t get much of anything going from long distance, making just four of their 20 attempts from beyond the arc. They did have five players finish in double figures, which helped them ultimately out-score Carolina in the second half. They chose to have their best player in Thornton in bound the ball on the final play of the game which meant he did not take the final shot for the win. Much appreciated!
UNC will be back in action on Monday when they take on East Carolina in Chapel Hill.
Category: General Sports
