Off the cuff: Lehigh hung with Carolina for the first 10 minutes. A 12-1 run put the Heels in command. But a disturbing 16-7 run drew the Mountainhawks to within three at 53-50. The Tar Heels gave up three three-pointers during the stretch. Despite the bigger, more talented Heels pulling away, fans should keep a close eye on Carolina's perimeter defense. The state of college basketball today is such that a normally inferior team can get hot from three and cause havoc, if not win the game. Lehigh hit eight more threes than Carolina. When you have the inside dominance over another team, that's not a problem. But the Heels won't have that dominance in every game. Ultimately, the Mountainhawks didn't shoot particularly well and some of that was due to solid Carolina defense but the stretches when Lehigh got open looks from three is concerning and something to look out for as the season progresses. It was good to see Armando Bacot doing what he's supposed to do - control the boards. Bacot attributes his rebounding numbers to the fact that he and his teammates missed a lot of shots. He wore down defenders, getting them saddled with fouls. Hopefully that's something that will continue even against better teams - and Lehigh isn't bad. Bacot scored 22 and pulled down 20 rebounds. Coach Davis seems to think that is to be expected. "That's what is required of him - that's what we need from him each game. He is our guy," Coach Davis said. |
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