By R.L. Bynum
MEMPHIS — It was strange to see Memphis Grizzlies rookie Armando Bacot at courtside watching instead of playing, but No. 9 North Carolina was prepared for that this season. Playing without Preseason ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis was a different story.
While Davis, nursing a lower-back contusion, watched from the bench, the Tar Heels took a while to find their rhythm. After trailing by three at halftime, UNC turned up the tempo, and Seth Trimble went off on Memphis.
Trimble scored 21 of his 33 points in the second half (after never scoring more than 12 in a game) as UNC took control before holding on for an 84–76 exhibition victory over Memphis on Tuesday at FedEx Forum in the Hoops for St. Jude Tip Off Classic.
“We got jitters out,” Trimble said. “First half was an experience. That was probably one of the roughest first halves I’ve played in the three years I’ve played here. But just the way we came together in the second half, the way Elliot [Cadeau], Jalen [Washington] and I and all the rest of the other guys stepped up and just guided everybody. It was huge. So, it was a big step.”
UNC went from five fast break points in the first half to 13 in the first eight minutes of the second half when the Heels took control. Coach Hubert Davis said that the turnaround after halftime came from inside points, better penetration, and not settling for 3-point attempts.
“We weren’t putting pressure on the rim, and we weren’t living in the paint, living at the free-throw line,” Davis said. “Then, defensively, we just weren’t physical or strong enough, particularly in terms of getting loose balls, rebounds. We weren’t getting two hands on it, weren’t being strong with it.”
Davis said UNC got more of the shots they wanted in the second half, with three players standing out.
— Trimble’s play on both ends showed that he may have been the most valuable player Davis pulled out of the transfer portal. His three 3-pointers topped his best previous output by one, and he showed the ability to take over a game.
— Washington took the first step toward proving doubters wrong with 17 points, two 3-pointers, six rebounds, three steals and two assists in 25 minutes. He took some stitches over his left eye after butting heads with Tyreek Smith going for a rebound.
— Cadeau displayed his versatile skill set with a double-double (11 points and 13 assists, the latter topping his best effort of 10 as a freshman). He matched his best steals total last season with four and pulled down four rebounds.
Coach Davis said that it was about growth for those three.
“They’re getting an opportunity and chance for a bigger role, and given that opportunity and chance, because of their hard work, their maturity, they’re different players than they were before,” Davis said. “That’s what college is about. It’s about growing up. It’s about getting better. It’s about improving and growing every year.”
He called Trimble’s monster game one of the best games he’s ever seen at UNC.
It was only an exhibition and the first game against another team, which meant that Coach Davis had a lot of teaching points for nearly every possession.
“This will give all of us examples to be able to learn from and grow from,” he said. “Also, being able to play a true road game, specifically for this team, in regards to our second game of the season, we’re on the road at Kansas, so that won’t be our first true road game. And so it gives this new, different team experience of playing on the road.”
Davis started Trimble, Cadeau, Washington, Cade Tyson and Jae’Lynn Withers, but also gave freshmen Drake Powell and Ian Jackson plenty of playing time. Davis said that was good, considering both will be out there “a lot.”
“Playing at this level is different for them, and so this atmosphere and this game was really good for them, too,” Davis said, “giving them more game-type situations, understanding time and score, understanding the importance of the little things, the boxing out, the talking and defense, the last two feet of every pass you have to meet — especially in late game situations — where teams are trying to foul or steal. Those are things that you can talk about in practice, but to go through it through a game allows them to gain so much more experience, and they need it.”
Coach Davis liked what he saw with the way the offense flowed, and the 21 assists, but he didn’t care for the 22 turnovers, which he says the team has to clean up.
Cadeau played a game-high 36 minutes and came up with just the effort UNC needed playing without RJ Davis.
“I think we did a very good job, given that we’re down one of our guards, and everybody has to step up and play more minutes,” said Cadeau, whose minutes high last season was 35.
Carolina made its first three shots and took a 7–2 lead behind five Trimble points, but Memphis went on a 16–4 run and led by seven on Tyreek Smith’s transition layup after Tyson’s bad pass. Tyrese Hunter’s 3-pointer capped a 9–3 run to push Memphis’ lead to 11.
UNC missed its first eight 3-point attempts before Trimble sank one with 9:17 left in the first half. That started a 14–4 Tar Heels run, including a Cadeau 3-pointer, to tie it on a Withers layup. Three Trimble points, to give him 14 at halftime, cut Memphis’ lead to 39–36 by halftime.
Trimble’s dunk two minutes after halftime gave UNC its first lead since the game’s first 4½ minutes. That started a 10–2 run to take a seven-point lead on a Trimble transition layup on a Cadeau assist for a 3-point play. After the Tigers cut the lead to one, a Trimble 3-pointer and Powell layup pushed it back to six.
Tyson’s first 3-pointer — after missing seven combined attempts in the Blue-White game and against Memphis — with 9:54 left expanded the lead to 12. The lead peaked at 15 on a pair of Trimble free throws with 6:17 remaining.
A 7–0 Memphis run sliced its deficit to six with 3:04 left. Two free throws and a hammering transition dunk by Trimble shoved the lead back to 10, but a PJ Haggerty transition layup with 1:23 left cut it to six.
Trimble’s two free throws with 43 seconds left sealed the victory.
Haggerty led Memphis with 24 points and nine rebounds.
NOTES — All proceeds from the doubleheader, which included a game between the No. 1 and reigning national champion South Carolina women against Memphis after UNC’s game, benefited St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. … UNC plays its second exhibition game at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, (ESPN2) against Division II Johnson C. Smith, which went 14–12 last season and tied for third in the CIAA’s Southern Division last season. … It was the first time UNC had played a game in the FedEx Forum since Luke Maye hit his historic shot to beat Kentucky 75–63 in the 2017 NCAA Southeast Regional final on the way to the national championship. … Trimble and Withers had only started three times in regular-season games, and Washington hadn’t started any regular-season games. … Withers picked up his third foul in the first two minutes after halftime on a blocking foul after having his shot blocked at the other end and his fourth foul with 12:55 left. … ESPN announced game times for two home games on Tuesday, with the Feb. 8 home game against Pittsburgh starting at 4 p.m. and the March 1 contest with Miami tipping off at noon. Both games will air on either on ESPN or ESPN2.
No. 9 UNC 84, Memphis 76
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 15 | Tuesday | W, 84–76 | at Memphis | Exhibition |
| 27 | Sunday | 2 p.m. | vs. Johnson C. Smith (exhibition) | ESPN3 |
| November | ||||
| 4 | Monday | 9 p.m. | vs. Elon | ACCN |
| 8 | Friday | 7 p.m. ET | at No. 1 Kansas | ESPN2 |
| 15 | Friday | 8 p.m. | vs. American | ACCN |
| 22 | Friday | 12:30 a.m ET | at Hawaii | ESPN2 |
| Maui Invitational | ||||
| 25 | Monday | 11:30 p.m. ET | Dayton | ESPN2 |
| 26 | Tuesday | 8:30 or 11 ET | No. 11 Auburn or Iowa State | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 27 | Wednesday | 2:30 ET, 5 p.m., 9:30 or midnight | Memphis, No. 3 UConn, Colorado or Michigan State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Wednesday | 7:15 | vs. No. 2 Alabama | ESPN |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| 14 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | vs. LaSalle | The CW |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | No. 21 Florida | ESPN |
| CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | UCLA | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | 8 p.m. | vs. Campbell | ACCN |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | TBA | at Louisville | ACCN |
| 4 | Saturday | Noon | at Notre Dame | CBS |
| 7 | Tuesday | 9 p.m. | vs. SMU | ACCN |
| 11 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at N.C. State | ACCN |
| 15 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Cal | ACCN |
| 18 | Saturday | 2:15 | vs. Stanford | The CW |
| 21 | Tuesday | 9 p.m. | at Wake Forest | ESPN |
| 25 | Saturday | 2:15 p.m. | vs. Boston College | The W |
| 28 | Tuesday | 9 p.m. | at Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | 6:30 p.m. | at No. 7 Duke | ESPN |
| 8 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 10 | Monday | 7 p.m. | at Clemson | ESPN |
| 15 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | at Syracuse | ESPN |
| 19 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 22 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | vs. Virginia | ESPN |
| 24 | Monday | 7 p.m. | at Florida State | ESPN |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | Noon | vs. Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 4 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ESPN, ESPN2 orESPNU |
| 8 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 7 Duke | ESPN |
| 11– 15 | Tues.–Sat. | ACC tournament Spectum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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