5 Takeaways From Carolina's 85-64 Win Over the Demon Deacons

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CHAPEL HILL – The boxes North Carolina eventually checked Monday night were aplenty, and even a bit historic, too.

RJ Davis recorded a career-high 36 points, 23 of which came after halftime, in which the Tar Heels trailed, UNC stifled Wake Forest’s potent offense, and the third-ranked Heels dominated the glass in cruising to an 85-64 victory.

It wasn’t always pretty, as UNC didn’t hit a 3-pointer until a few minutes into the second half, had just one assist in the first half, and was locked on the glass a minute into the second half.

But Davis and his mates exploded in every facet of the game to blow out a team that came in ranked No. 42 in the NET and No. 36 by KenPom.

Freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau scored 14 points for UNC, which won its ninth consecutive game, followed by 11 from Cormac Ryan and 10 from Harrison Ingram, who also grabbed 14 rebounds.

UNC improved to 16-3 overall and 8-0 in the ACC. The Deacons dropped to 13-6 and 5-3.

Here are 5 Takeaways from Carolina’s romp over Wake Forest:

One thing North Carolina has consistently done all season is close games playing its best basketball of that particular day or night. The Heels usually get stronger as games go on. That was the case and then some tonight.

What UNC did to a team many believe is the second best in the ACC was at a level common with how many of UNC’s 21 past Final Four clubs have risen. Consider:

-UNC outscored Wake 52-30 in the half, but a closer look shows the Heels bettered the Deacs 44-23 over the final 16:29 of the contest.

-The Heels outrebounded Wake 24-11 over the final 19 minutes.

-Carolina held Wake to 26.7% shooting from the floor in the second half.

-The Tar Heels pitched a shutout defending the perimeter after halftime, holding the No. 12 outside shooting team in the nation to 0-for-9.

-UNC owned a 13-1 advantage in fast break points after the intermission.

Carolina had more juice than the Deacs, it played more aggressively in every aspect, and got better as the game went on.

It wasn’t the best half of basketball on the season, that still belongs to the first half against Tennessee, but it was maybe more impressive given that UNC played at Boston College on Saturday, had one day of prep, and had more everything after halftime on a night it could have struggled with energy, which is often the case with most teams.

“They are an elite defensive team,” Wake Forest Coach Steve Forbes said. “They have a better defensive efficiency than offensive efficiency.”

Senior guard RJ Davis was at his very best Monday night, as he set a career-high with 36 points on four 3-pointers and ten field goals after driving into the lane. He owned the game, literally.

Davis kept the Heels afloat in a so-so first half in which they trailed by a point at the intermission. But Davis’ 13 points were huge, and all came on driving to the basket. It also helped set a tone for what was coming by the Heels after halftime.

His back-to-back threes gave UNC a big early push and the lead for good. And he kept on scoring. He converted a layup at the 18:29 mark of the second half, then the pair of just-noted threes at 16:26 and 15:53. Then:

-A floater in the lane followed by a free throw at 15:09 giving him nine points in a span of 77 seconds.

-Two free throws at 12:23.

-A layup at 9:51, a jumper at 9:04

-A three at 2:31 and another three at :52.

Breaking it down, Davis scored 21 points in a period of 15:26. His line for the night:14-for-23 from the field; 4-for-8 from the perimeter;4-for-5 on free throws; four rebounds; two assist; zero turnovers; and his name chanted by the fans.

“We need that from RJ every game,” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said, smiling. “He's been that in practice as well. He plays that way in preparation for a game you know, his just ability for a number of things, but specifically his scoring. He could score with the ball, his hands off the ball, his ability to be able to finish at the rim. The way that Wake was playing us defensively, he was able to get to that mid-range, that floater…

“Then that setup his ability to be able to shoot the ball from three, and he was in a great rhythm tonight. He's been in a great rhythm all season.”

Davis had 13 points in the first half without hitting a 3-pointer. It wasn’t until 16:29 remained before he finally converted one, which was also UNC’s first triple. But it was a very big one and triggered a crucial, game-changing stretch for the home team.

Davis hit a three from the left corner for a 44-41 lead 3:31 into the second half. Then, 33 seconds later, his hit another in transition for a 47-41 advantage forcing Wake to call timeout with 15:40 left.

It triggered an explosive 26-8 run for the Heels that consumed nine minutes from the clock and basically sealing Wake’s fate.

The two threes electrified the crowd and lifted UNC to another level. On a night in which Davis made a very strong case as the distant front-runner for ACC Player of the Year, that sequence not only validates such a candidacy, but was All-American-ish, too.

The talk about UNC being the beneficiary of opponents missing open shots needs to get tossed in the waste basket. It’s just not the case.

A couple or even a few games of melting down opponents’ offenses, yes, one could get away with advancing such an argument, but not now. Not after the last seven ACC games with opponents shooting just 19.1 percent from 3-point range.

In the seven-game ACC stretch, opponents are 151-for-426 (35.4%), and have assisted on only 51 of those field goals, which is a low 33.8%. Furthermore, while generating steals isn’t a big part of how UNC defends, it has forced 63 against the 51 assists during this period.

In this game, Wake had errant stretches of missing eight of nine in the first half, eight straight in the second half as part of a longer period in which the Deacs were just 3-for-16. Wake missed seven of its last eight from the field, as well.

The Deacons assisted on only three of their 21 field goals, and shot 26,7% from the floor after halftime.

“They shot 26 percent in the second half, and that was something that was required and needed for us to play against a really good Wake Forest team,” Hubert Davis said.

Early in the second half, UNC and Wake each had 19 rebounds. Over the final 19 minutes of the game, UNC out-boarded the Deacs 24-11. The final tally of 43-30 makes this the eighth consecutive game Carolina has outrebounded its opponents, and seven times it has done so by 10 or more boards.

Only a plus-eight versus NC State wasn’t a double-digit advantage for the Heels. In addition, UNC has grabbed 113 more missed shots than its last eight foes, which averages out to plus-14.1 advantage each time out.

Of particular note, Harrison Ingram pulled down 14 rebounds, giving him 27 in the last two games. In fact, Ingram has 10 or more in five of UNC’s last seven games, dating back to the re-start of ACC at Pitt. In four games, Ingram has 13 or more, and his average during the stretch is 9.9.

“At the half, (Hubert) challenged us to not only increase the intensity in the second half; increase the defense, the aggressiveness on offense, sticking to the discipline and details with every possession that we get…,” Jae’Lyn Withers said. “(And rebounding) and we really responded.”