Off the cuff: Well, it wasn't Virginia or Florida State but Northeastern was a pretty good team to get for a last-second game, and the Tar Heels responded well. Northeastern is currently second in the CAA and has a decent shot to be the NCAA representative from that conference. Their RPI ranking is better than three ACC schools. Coach Williams joked about how good Northeastern's Tyson Walker is, saying he was starting to believe that one player was going to outscore the Tar Heels. In the first half, Walker hit seven of eight shots, including four of five from beyond the three-point arc. Carolina was up just 25-21 and 19 of those 21 points were scored by Walker. But the Tar Heels double teamed Walker in the second half and he managed just six points after getting 21 in the frist half. Coach Williams said perhaps Walker "was just tired of making baskets." Carolina did a better job from the free throw line in this one, hitting 13 of 16. The Heels also had 20 assists and 10 turnovers. It's the first time this season that they have had a two-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio. While he wasn't a huge scorer in this game, Caleb Love had nine assists and just two turnovers. This game was the first time Carolina had played at home since Jan. 23 and it was the latest in a regular season that the Heels have played a non-conference opponent since 2003. |
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