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Off the cuff: Carolina demolished N.C. State yet the Pack scored 96 points - this after scoring a ridiculously low 24 last weekend in a loss to Virginia Tech.

UNC coach Roy Williams said it's tough to come back after that kind of loss but he thought Kevin Keatts had his team ready.

And indeed the game was close for the first 10 minutes and the Pack shot over 50 percent and put up a ton of points.

But when Carolina gets out in transition like it did and is able to draw fouls, the Heels are hard to beat.

Coby White hit seven of eight from the free throw line on his way to 21 points while Nassir Little hit eight of 10 from the line on his way to 12 points.

And when Luke Maye controls the inside game with a bunch of rebounds (12), follow shots and general disruption on the boards, he can put up a lot of points.

His 31 points were the most since he had 33 against State last season. In that one, he did it more with his outside shot. In this one, again, he did the damage inside.

Coach Williams wasn't happy that his defense allowed State to shoot more than 50 percent and that his offense turned the ball over 17 times, 13 of which came in the second half.

The pace got frenetic there for a while which lends itself to turnovers but the Heels also put up a bunch of points in transition during the same time period.

"I think we're getting better," Coach Williams said of his Heels who are on a six-game win streak. "But we've got to get better."

The offense can't be much better as the Heels shot 56 percent for the game and 60 percent in the second half. But it will be defense that determines how far this team goes.

Tar Heels 113, N.C. State 96
Points soar as Maye, Heels whip State

North Carolina, behind Luke Maye's 31 points, scored the most points it ever has against N.C. State in a big 113-96 home victory. (2/5)

Maye was only two shy of his career-high 33, which he got against the Wolfpack last year. In fact, in the last four games against the Pack, he's averaging 29 points.

The 113 points could have been worse had UNC coach Roy Williams not inserted the guys off the end of the bench with nearly three minutes to go. N.C. State, with its regulars still in the game, scored the last 10 points to make the final tally more respectable.

But make no mistake, this was a blowout as the Heels led by as many as 27 points in the second half and by more than 20 much of the second half.

The Tar Heels, who were wearing jerseys in the style of the Carolina teams from the late 1960s, scored more points against an ACC opponent in regulation than they have since the late 1960s.

"We got some fortunate bounces at the end of the first half," UNC coach Williams said. "Then, at the beginning of the second half we made some shots."

Over the last nine minutes of the first half the Heels worked a five-point lead up to 19. Point guard Coby White scored 12 of his 21 points during the run with the last three coming on a shot from the right corner after Kenny Williams saved the ball from going out of bounds.

Up 56-40 at the half, the Tar Heels went on a 21-10 run over the first six minutes of the second half to make it a blowout at 77-50. A three by Maye at the end of the shot clock and a couple of fast break buckets by Maye and Garrison Brooks highlighted the run.

Brooks had a career-high six assists and no turnovers. He joked after the game that he could play some point guard if White falters. But seriously "I credit the guys the most 'cause they're the ones getting the scores," he said.

Five Tar Heels scored in double figures. In addition to Maye and White, Cam Johnson scored 17, Williams scored a season-high 17 on six of seven shooting, and Nassir Little scored 12, going eight of 10 from the free throw line.

Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor but the big difference came at the free throw line as the Heels were 31 of 37 whereas State was only 15 of 24 - a 16-point difference. Carolina also outrebounded the Pack 41-27.

"All in all we did a lot of good things and we got a home win," Coach Williams said.

For his part, Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts said his squad did "an awful job" in transition defense and gave the Heels second and third opportunities to score.

"We lost to a very good basketball team on their home floor," he said. "We knew it would be tough." The Pack, coming off an historic 24-point performance, didn't so much have trouble scoring as they had trouble stopping the streaking Heels.

North Carolina, winners of six ACC contests in a row, moves to 18-4 and tied for first in the ACC at 8-1 in the league. State, led by Braxton Beverly's 17 points, falls to 16-7 overall and 4-6 in the conference.

The Tar Heels host Miami at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Box score


UNC's Luke Maye had a season-high 31 points. (UNC Sports Information photo.)



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