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CHAPEL HILL – There are two ways to look at the extensive run North Carolina’s bench got during Tuesday night’s win over The Citadel:
One is the lopsided nature of the 100-67 at the Smith Center victory afforded head coach Hubert Davis the freedom to roll more with the bench guys. The other is that he actually went deep into the bench long before the game was a blowout.
Both can be true, and probably is, though Davis said he called on the reserves in the first half out of need.
“I didn't have a plan to play 10 players in the first half,” Davis said. “We needed a spark in the first half; we needed energy and enthusiasm, and we needed it from the bench. I was just going down the line to be able to find that, and we did.”
He got five assists from freshman point guard Seth Trimble in his 21 minutes of action. He got nine points and six rebounds from sophomore Dontrez Styles in his 16 minutes. And he got 16 points in 18 minutes from freshman wing Tyler Nickel.
In all, Tar Heels (7-4) reserves scored 42 points, pulled down 19 rebounds, dished out 10 assists, had seven steals, and blocked two shots in 88 minutes of playing time. The starters had a blast watching the other guys do their thing.
“It was real fun,” said junior guard Caleb Love, who led the Heels with 17 points. “I see those guys put in so much work, and when they get the opportunity to see them excel and go out there and do what they do best, I love to see it.”
Styles hadn’t scored all season until Tuesday night. Trimble had just five assists coming in, and Nickel doubled his season-high in points, as twice he went for eight in a loss at Virginia Tech and a win over College of Charleston.
As impressive as the others were, Nickel ultimately stole the show.
The all-time leading scorer in Virginia high school history, the 6-foot-8 forward showed why in stretches versus the Bulldogs. He capped the night with an eight-point barrage in a span of 43 seconds in the second half. The eruption included a pair of 3-pointers.
“He probably has the most confidence on the team,” Love said about Nickel.
Senior forward Armando Bacot has a hard time believing anyone on the team carries the swag and confidence as does Love, but he says Nickel is certainly self-assured.
“From Caleb saying that, that’s crazy to think,” Bacot said, laughing. “I don't know about that one, but he does have a lot of confidence, so I'd say he's probably second. Caleb is tripping for saying that.”
Nickel isn’t shying away from Love’s claim, and why should he?
He has played 48 minutes over the last three games shooting 9-for-16 from the floor. Nickel was 3-for-8 from the perimeter against The Citadel.
“I am extremely confident; that's a big reason why I play the way I play,” he said. “I think if you allow yourself to not be confident then all the ability and everything you worked for decreases. Staying confident, I think, is one of the biggest parts of playing basketball in general.”
Trimble’s confidence has grown, Styles’ got a huge boost Tuesday, and Nickel is getting increasingly comfortable on the floor.
Davis has said many times he wants to play a deep bench, but those guys have to earn it. Tuesday night, they took a step in that direction, in articular Nickel.
