By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — There have been plenty of lessons in dealing with physicality for No. 16 North Carolina in the first nine games, and Coach Hubert Davis says that progress has been evident.
Georgetown was the victim of that evolution on Sunday as the Tar Heels used their length and defensive versatility to hold the Hoyas to 22.2% second-half shooting in a convincing 81–61 victory Sunday at the Smith Center.
Davis said the recent stretch against physical teams has helped UNC grow. The Hoyas thought they could win by being more physical but found out otherwise as they had a season-low point total and shot a season-low 33.3% from the floor.
“There’s no way. There’s no route. There’s no road other than being able to be tough on both ends of the floor. We’ve identified that,” Davis said. “When the ball goes up in the air, it’s on the ground, we’ve got to be physical and tough enough that it’s always all UNC.”
Davis wants to see the Heels be just as physical on the offensive end, “to be able to set screens, come off screens, the patience, to be able to take the bump, be able to score, get to the free-throw line, knock down free throws, make the extra pass.”
Carolina (8–1) owned the boards (winning 45–36) and disrupted Georgetown’s offense with constant switching one through four in the second half. After halftime, guard K.J. Lewis scored only six of his team-high 17 points, and center Julius Halaifonua scored five of his 14 points.
Davis said that the 10 inside points and zero fast-break points by Georgetown (6–3) in the second half were a direct result of UNC’s response.
“I thought that was huge,” Davis said.
UNC’s inside duo was productive again, with Caleb Wilson (20 points, 14 rebounds) and Henri Veesaar (18 points, career-high 15 rebounds) both registering double-doubles (sixth for Wilson and fifth for Veesaar), two of four Tar Heels scoring in double figures (Luka Bogavac and Derek Dixon each had 14, a season-high for Dixon). Kyan Evans and Dixon combined for seven assists against three turnovers.
“Caleb and Henri were fantastic,” Davis said. “They were active on the boards, they were finishing around the basket, and they were protecting the rim.”
Davis played Evans and Dixon together quite a bit against the Hoyas, and the ball seemed to move better in the half-court when that happened.
“I thought the start that Ky had was huge for us,” Davis said of Evans. “It’s not just the shots that he made. He was confident. He was aggressive. He was on point. I really like Ky and Derek on the floor at the same time. I’ve said always that I love multiple ball-handlers. You can’t take us out of our offense.”
Davis said he liked the way his team handled Georgetown’s defensive adjustments and kept the offense running through his big men.
“From an offensive standpoint, we’re inside out,” Davis said. “I’ve been clear and definitive: I want to dominate points in the paint through post penetration, offensive rebounding, live in the paint, live at the free-throw line, put max pressure on the rim. I believe when you do that, that generates the open 3s. And I felt like we generated really good threes.”
Georgetown made 6 of its first 9 shots and took a five-point lead with an 8–0 run on Langston Love’s 3-pointer, the Hoyas’ third, 4½ minutes into the game. The Hoyas led by four before Dixon hit a 3-pointer and a jumper to give UNC its first lead in more than six minutes at 11:32 of the first half.
Carolina made six consecutive shots on an 11–4 run, which Veesaar punctuated with a dunk, to give the Heels a five-point edge at 8:21 of the first half. UNC went scoreless for nearly 4½ minutes but never gave up the lead. Veesaar gave the Heels a seven-point lead at 2:41 of the first half with a three-point play, a drive and two free throws. They led 44–39 at halftime.
Davis said the halftime message was clear.
“One of the things that we always talk about in the huddle is four-minute stretches,” Davis said. “Let’s raise the level of attention to detail, will and want-to effort. Let’s make sure we win these four minutes, but it starts defensively, and rebounding the basketball.”
The message was received: UNC went from allowing 22 points in the lane and 10 fast-break points in the first half to 10 and zero in the second half.
“I think just our energy and our communication was a lot better,” Dixon said of why the defense got better in the second half.
Carolina took a 15-point lead at 13:26 of the second half when a Dixon corner 3 ended a nearly four-minute field-goal drought during a 16–4 run, capped by 3-pointers from Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson.
A Love 3-pointer at the end of a 7–0 run cut the Hoyas’ deficit to eight. But it was at 18 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Jonathan Powell and Bogavac ignited an 11–1 run. A Bogavac layup with 25 seconds left gave UNC its biggest lead at 20 and the final margin.
“Well, you’ve gotta give UNC a lot of credit,” Georgetown coach Ed Cooley said. “I thought they played incredibly well, thought they shared the ball. I thought their length definitely impacted the game.”
Notes
— Carolina, in the middle of final exams, gets six days off before hosting USC Upstate at 2 p.m. Saturday (The CW), one day after exams conclude. The Spartans (6–5) have won two in a row after home wins on Wednesday over Coastal Carolina, 85–78 in overtime, and Saturday against Western Carolina, 78–67. USC Upstate won 82–67 on Nov. 25 against N.C. Central, which the Tar Heels beat 97–53 on Nov. 14.
— Two Tar Heels hadn’t collected at least 18 points and 14 rebounds in the same game since Sean May and Marvin Williams did it against Iowa State in the second round of the 2005 NCAA tournament in Charlotte. May (24 points, 17 rebounds) and Williams (20, 15) were the first Tar Heels to accomplish that since 1958. The previous times were Lee Shaffer and Pete Brennan in 1958, Brennan and Joe Quigg in 1957 and Quigg and Lennie Rosenbluth in 1957.
— The previous time that two Tar Heels had at least 14 rebounds was at Duke in 2016 when Brice Johnson pulled down 21 and Kennedy Meeks had 14. This was only the second time since 1972 two Tar Heels had 14 or more rebounds in the same game.
— On throwback Sunday, the Tar Heels wore throwback uniforms from the early 1980s, since Georgetown was the team UNC beat in the 1982 national-championship game. The numbers on the scoreboard had a retro-looking font.
— The Hoyas’ DeShawn Harris-Smith wasn’t available for personal reasons. He is a reserve averaging 5.2 points per game.
— UNC tied the all-time series with Georgetown at 5 to end a two-game skid against the Hoyas.
— Veesaar’s 15 rebounds were the most against the Hoyas by a Tar Heel, topping the 13 James Worthy pulled down in the 1982 national-championship game.
— Georgetown, which came into the game third in the country in turnover percentage, tied the Smith Center record with only four turnovers.
No. 16 UNC 81, Georgetown 61
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Duke | 6–0 | 17–1 | 2 |
| No. 18 Clemson | 6–1 | 16–4 | 30 |
| No. 14 Virginia | 5–1 | 16–2 | 13 |
| Miami | 4–2 | 15–4 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 4–2 | 13–6 | 29 |
| Virginia Tech | 4–3 | 15–5 | 49 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 3–3 | 15–4 | 27 |
| SMU | 3–3 | 14–5 | 32 |
| Stanford | 3–3 | 14–5 | 67 |
| No. 23 Louisville | 3–3 | 13–5 | 15 |
| Syracuse | 3–3 | 12–7 | 75 |
| California | 2–4 | 14–5 | 60 |
| Wake Forest | 2–4 | 11–8 | 65 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–4 | 11–8 | 142 |
| Boston College | 2–4 | 9–10 | 157 |
| Notre Dame | 1–5 | 10–9 | 81 |
| Florida State | 1–5 | 8–11 | 116 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–5 | 8–11 | 120 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Tuesday’s results
Florida State 65, Miami 63
N.C. State 80, No. 18 Clemson 76, OT
SMU 91, Wake Forest 79
Wednesday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina 91, Notre Dame 69
Boston College 65, Pittsburgh 62
Virginia Tech 76, Syracuse 74
Saturday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia, noon, ESPN2
No. 18 Clemson at Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network
N.C. State at Pittsburgh, noon, ESPNU
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, noon, The CW
Miami at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at No. 23 Louisville, 2:15, The CW
Florida State at SMU, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, noon, The CW
Boston College at Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ACC Network
California at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Monday’s game
No. 23 Louisville at No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
Wake Forest at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 14 Virginia at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Syracuse at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN U
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 19 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 10 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at No. 14 Virginia | ESPN |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 23 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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