CHAPEL HILL – The second halves of basketball games have been very, very good to the North Carolina Tar Heels thus far.
Actually, a better way of putting it is North Carolina has largely been outstanding after halftime almost every time it has taken the floor this season.
The Heels have been run-heavy, not sprinting and fast-breaking, but simply forging massive foot-on-throat eruptions leading them to the winner’s circle each time.
The most recent occasion was Saturday in UNC’s 78-70 victory over Florida State at the Smith Center, when the Tar Heels overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half, eventually using a 22-0 run that stretched to 30-4 in putting away the Seminoles.
Carolina hit just one 3-pointer during the stretch, which was caused mostly by the Tar Heels’ diamond press, something they had practiced the last two months but had not used until Saturday.
And once again, Carolina (7-1, 1-0 ACC) used a post-halftime muscle-flexing push to win a game. Perhaps as much as anything, this is where these Heels differ from last year’s team.
“I thought the thing that we struggled with last year was down the stretch, being able to make the discipline and details," UNC Coach Hubert Davis said following the win over the Seminoles. "The free throws, the box out, not to turn the ball over, getting the loose ball. I thought that's where we struggled at times last year, but I was just really proud of the guys (today). …
“To be honest with you, our press, that’s the first time that we've ever done it after made baskets. It's usually after a dead ball or free throw, full court situations. We were pressing after make or miss. I went into the huddle and I said, ‘guys do you like this, do you want to continue to do this?’ And (they) said, ‘Coach, just keep doing it, let's keep doing it.’”
In fact, adding up the noted runs in six of UNC’s seven victories, excluding the Tennessee game, in which Carolina’s explosion actually occurred before halftime, the numbers look like this: UNC 136, opponents 22, using 40:11 of clock time.
The Games:
Radford: UNC led 56-55 with 14:56 remaining, then went on a 20-6 run over an 8:16 stretch, eventually winning 86-70.
Lehigh: UNC led 53-50 with 13:25 remaining, then the Heels went on a 24-6 run over a span of 8:09 and eventually won 90-68.
“I think our intensity,” RJ Davis replied when asked what triggered the run. “That’s what the coaches kept saying in the locker room and the huddles, that our intensity had to be better. And I think once it got close, 53-50, that’s when we used that intensity to make us go on a run.”
UC Riverside: UCR closed the first half outscoring UNC 17-7 cutting the margin to 11. All Carolina did was score the first 19 points of the second half pulling away for a 77-52 victory.
“I think that collectively we communicated a lot better, locked in on the details, and played harder,” forward Jae’Lyn Withers said afterward.
Northern Iowa: Carolina trailed 41-35 at halftime, then it opened the second half on a 16-1 run, with the run eventually reaching 34-6 in a span of 9:55.
“We just had to respond,” Hubert Davis said following the win. “I challenged them because I just didn’t feel like we were playing our best, and just to challenge them to be better. And the change in the second half was 100 percent done.
“The energy and the effort defensively, I thought we did a really good job contesting shots.”
Arkansas: Carolina and the Razorbacks were tied at 48-48 with 13:51 remaining, when the Tar Heels went on a 17-4 run over a period of 4:08 to take a 65-52 lead. UNC won the game 87-72.
And then there was the FSU game. UNC forced the Seminoles to miss all night of their field goal attempts during the 22-0 spurt, forced five turnovers, and got scoring from five different players. The press was huge, and infused the Heels with a needed juice injection.
“We started trapping and doing and throwing different things, different looks, and that really helped us out,” forward Armando Bacot said. “They’re a weird team to play against because they play so many styles on the wing, and they switch ability and stuff like that.
“I think once started to settle in and really get a feel on how to score on them and create turnovers it helped us.”
Rising up, delivering haymakers, and settling in cruising in victory lane has been a constant in North Carolina’s victories this season, especially after halftime.
