CHAPEL HILL – Don’t base any judgement on the performances by North Carolina’s freshman guards in what the box score says from the Tar Heels’ 86-76 victory over NC State on Saturday at the Smith Center.
It doesn’t tell the whole story. Not even close, really.
The trio of true freshmen Caleb Love and RJ Davis along with redshirt Anthony Harris combined for eight turnovers, the stat sheet says. Love was 6-for-15 shooting from the field, including 0-2 from the perimeter, it also reads.
But the box also shows the trio teamed up for 35 points, Harris and Davis combined to shoot 7-for-11 overall and 2-for-3 from 3-point range, and that Love handed out five assists.
The latter stat grouping is a better reflection of how they played, but still doesn’t get the job done. The guards, especially Love and Davis, who have struggled navigating their way through the process of having the keys to this blue blood, played with confidence, energy and made stuff happen all game long.
“I told them at one time out, we’ve had 60 practices, we’ve had 14 games, so I think at that time they should no longer be freshmen,” UNC Coach Roy Williams said. “They've played a ton of games, we've had a ton of practices, but they're still going to screw it up and make mistakes that freshmen make.”
The turnovers remain an issue and certainly must be cleaned up. But Love didn’t appear to allow the mistakes to linger as much as earlier in the season. The miscues are in that box score, but how he handled them are more a sign of where his game is headed.
“Yeah, just because I turn the ball over doesn't mean I stop playing, but I can't have those turnovers, five times is way too much. I put that on myself,” Love said. “I can't be turning the ball over like that. But, I'm getting better and better.
“As I watch the film, looking at the defense, how they’re playing it, and just getting better and better each and every day on how to feed the post or where the defense is, passing this pass, might not pass that pass. So, I'm gonna get better at that. I can't keep turning the ball over.”
That is growth, and it was apparent all afternoon. So was Love’s disposition at the game’s outset.
Coming off his best outing as a Tar Heel when he scored 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting against Wake Forest last Wednesday night, Love started strong against the Wolfpack, scoring six of UNC’s first 14 points while displaying some of his gifts. It helped set the tone for the Tar Heels, who took the lead at 8-7 and never again trailed.
From there, even after mistakes, he and Davis ran the team like they got every minute out of those five dozen practices and watching the film from those 14 games. They are more self-assured than a month ago, and it shows.
Harris, who has played the last three games after missing the first 12 overcoming a knee injury, has had a pretty good vantage point of the team’s play this season, and now that he’s fully ensconced in the rotation, recognizes how the Heels are different. In particular, his young backcourt mates, and the effect on the entire team.
“I feel like guys are just playing with more confidence now,” Harris said. “Nobody's looking over their shoulder, which they shouldn’t have been before. But, everybody's just a lot more confident like I said. Everybody's making the right play, knocking down shots, so I feel like we don't have anything to worry about.”
Carolina has won five of its last six games and now embarks on a crucial seven-game stretch that begins with three straight road games, beginning Tuesday night at Pittsburgh.
And based on the Heels’ play over the last two games, and obvious steps forward the guards have made, UNC appears far more prepared for this stretch than even a week ago.
