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Off the cuff: Who knows what's going to happen this basketball season. Carolina figured to be able to handle Charleston at home but there was no real home court edge and the Heels have eight new guys and only four that saw much action last year.

Carolina is a bigger and more talented team but Charleston was down only seven at the half, 39-32, and the visitors had held their own on the boards, equalling the Heels rebound totals in the first half.

After blowing a 16-point lead and falling behind 43-42 with 14:52 to go, anybody who's been keeping up with the strange occurences of 2020 knew anything could happen.

But it was a trio of freshmen, along with savvy defense from a senior (Andrew Platek), that righted the ship and allowed the Heels to earn a 19-point victory.

Freshman R.J. Davis was hit or miss much of the game although he rather confidently announced that he thought he "made a great impact."

He certainly did when he converted an old-fashioned three-point play to put Carolina up for good 45-43 and starting a 17-0 run.

The first 12 points of the run were scored by freshmen Davis, Caleb Love and Dayron Sharpe.

Another freshman Walter Kessler looked good late in limited play after missing several practices due to COVID-19 protocols.

Coach Roy Williams said all the politically correct things about wearing masks and setting an example so that fans can get back in the seats at some point this season.

Until the up-and-down offense comes around, it looks like the defense can keep the Heels going early. Carolina finished with nine blocked shots, 10 steals and forcing 15 turnovers.

Tar Heels 79, Charleston 60
Tar Heels recover to win strange opener

With no fans and all the COVID-19 protocols, it didn't look like a season opener at the Smith Center but with so many new faces it would have looked strange anyway. North Carolina, with eight new players, recovered from a lull in the second half to break open a close game, 79-60 over the College of Charleston. (11/25)

Coming off his first losing season as a coach, the Tar Heels' Roy Williams started two freshmen in the backcourt - Caleb Love, who led Carolina scoring with 17 points, and R.J. Davis, who added 11.

The Tar Heels squandered a 14-point lead as Charleston's Dontavius King drained a three to give the visitors a 43-42 lead with just under 15 minutes left in the game. But Davis made his biggest impact of the game seconds later with a drive to the hoop where he drew a foul. After his free throw, the Heels led 45-43 and they never trailed again.

The three-point play started a 17-0 run with 12 of the points coming from UNC freshmen including six from big guy Day'Ron Sharpe.

After getting up 59-43, the Heels never looked back pushing the lead up to as many as 21 points at 72-51 with 4:30 remaining.

Coach Williams said the 17-0 stretch was fueled mostly by aggressive defensive play. The Tar Heels mixed in some full-court pressure that bothered Charleston. UNC senior Andrew Platek, who shot poorly, was a gnat on defense forcing turnovers and coming up with steals.

While senior Garrison Brooks earned preseason ACC player of the year projections, he managed only three field goals while turning the ball over four times. He did have a team-high 11 rebounds but two other big men made a bigger overall impact. Sharpe, the 6-foot-10 265-pound freshman, had 13 points and 10 rebounds while Armando Bacot, a sophomore, scored 12 points and hauled down eight rebounds.

The larger Tar Heels had an advantage over the guard-heavy Charleston team and it came into play early as Carolina ran up a 16-2 lead as Charleston missed its first 11 shots of the game.

But the Heels couldn't pull away as the team shooting was off - only managing 39.4 percent from the floor. Charleston got back in it by getting hot late in the first half and early in the second before the Tar Heels opened it up with that 17-0 run.

Charleston was led by Brevin Galloway's 15 points.

Coach Williams said he expects his club to shoot much better as the year goes on, adding that this inexperienced team needed exhibition games and scrimmages, which weren't allowed this season due to the coronavirus.

"This is going to be a better shooting team than we were last year," Coach Williams said. "We didn't show it tonight."

Carolina, 1-0, will play UNLV Monday in the opening round of the Maui Invitational, which was relocated from Hawaii to Asheville, Coach Williams' hometown.

Box Score

The season tip-off at a nearly empty Smith Center. (UNC Athletic Communications)

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