Off the cuff: While I wish there were less attention to getting two biscuits for a dollar at Bojangles (the time I asked for it in Cary, they had no idea what I was talking about), it was good to see the Tar Heels reach the century mark again.
It's always been fun to see your team reach 100 and it is fun to see seldom-used players do the honors. Carolina's Jackson Watkins hit the second of two free throws to give the Heels 100 points as the crowd went wild.
It still gets old seeing Carolina limp to the finish line in games where the Heels have had big leads. State had only 38 points with less than 15 minutes to play and were 35 points behind.
In essence, the Heels, who were up by 25 at the half, lost the second half by five points.
Even with that bad taste in your mouth, it was a fantastic overall day for the Tar Heels. They were aggressive defensively and worked hard on the boards, leading to more fastbreak points than they've gotten in any game this year.
The blocked shots and drained threes early set the tone for the whole game. The Tar Heels finished with 15 threes in 27 attempts. Few teams are going to lose when they can do that.
Leaky Black deserves kudos for his defense, especially on Dereon Seabron, who averages 19 points a game but only had two in this one. Seabron was frustrated and sat much of the second half, playing less than 23 minutes while he averages 37 minutes a game.
"He uses his length and athleticism to make it difficult to score," Coach Davis said of Black.
The other takeaway I had from this game was Carolina's ball movement on offense. The Heels were in much better rhythm, making crisp passes and finding the open teammate or the one breaking to the basket.
Finally, in addition to honoring Coach Williams at the half, there was a brief recognition of the 1982 national championship team. Michael Jordan was there but I didn't see James Worthy or Sam Perkins. Better try doing that one again sometime when they can be there.
There was no TV coverage of the halftime event or the second half recognition of the '82 team. C.D. Chesley would have been all over it.
Tar Heels 100, Boston College 80 Carolina clicks, rolls big over N.C. State
North Carolina jumped on N.C. State early, hitting four straight threes, and went on to a dominating 100-80 victory at home. (1/29)
The Tar Heels, who have shot poorly as of late, were clicking as they hit 10 of 14 three-point attempts in the first half alone, when they shot 63 percent overall.
Brady Manek drilled a three in the first minute of the game, followed by two Caleb Love threes and a Leaky Black triple from the left wing that put Carolina up 14-5.
State never got closer than seven the rest of the way as sub Puff Johnson popped in a three from the right side to put the Heels in total command at 40-19. The largest lead of the half came when Manek dished low to Armando Bacot who dunked it for a 56-28 advantage.
Carolina, in control 56-31 at the half, led by as many as 35 points in the second half (73-38) before going cold as the Heels substituted freely.
UNC coach Hubert Davis said the offense will take care of itself when the Tar Heels defend, rebound and take care of the ball the way they did against the Wolfpack.
He noted Carolina's 25 fastbreak points and nine blocks. "We were protecting the paint," he said. "When we struggle, we are giving up points in the paint. We did a good job holding them to one shot."
Four Tar Heels scored in double figures, led by Love's 21 points. Bacot scored 18, pulled in 13 rebounds and swatted away six shots. Manek, who hit five threes, finished with 17 points as did R.J. Davis, who hit six of his eight shots.
State freshman Terquavion Smith had a season-high 34 points to keep the score halfway respectable for the Wolfpack, who drop to 10-12 overall and 3-7 in the ACC.
The Tar Heels, 12-0 at home, have now won 51 of their last 63 games against the Pack on a day where Carolina honored former Coach Roy Williams, who had a 38-5 record over N.C. State.
The Wolfpack has only two wins over their last 19 visits to Chapel Hill.
North Carolina, now 15-6 overall and 7-3 in the ACC, travels to Louisville Tuesday night.
