CHAPEL HILL – Exhibition games in college basketball can often be misleading.

A team can blow the doors off of an opponent and things appear more together and refined than they are. Or, a team can struggle and fans and media start questioning a club’s talent, potential and direction.

Amazingly, this actually happens.

North Carolina experienced a little bit of both on Friday night versus Winston-Salem State. They were impressive at times and not so much in other stretches. It was an exhibition game, so perspective is important when peeling away some layers of UNC’s 96-61 victory at the Smith Center.

Here are some observations from the game:

Note: Brandon Robinson went down with what appeared to be an ankle injury after playing just five minutes and did not return. Roy Williams had no information after the game but did say Robinson was getting an x-ray Saturday morning.

Cole Sees Everything

Cole Anthony carries into the season quite a bit of pressure because of how ballyhooed he is and how important he is to UNC’s success. And if you speak to those who are very familiar with his game, the hype is justified. He does a lot of things well, but what really stood out was how he plays with his head up and sees so much of the floor. He made some really impressive passes and a few others that nearly worked.

His stat line – 11 points (5-for-13 from the field), seven assists and five rebounds – is solid but his approach was what was most impressive. Of course, there’s a flip side to that, too. He appeared to force some things and was occasionally out of control. His coach obviously saw the same thing.

“Cole’s a playmaker, he makes a lot of plays,” Williams said. “Sometimes, you’re gonna make mistakes like I thought he made a couple of times where he penetrated and got too far in there with two or three guys around him… But he’s been sensational for us and the good news is if I have to worry about Cole, I’m guessing I don’t have may worries.”

This is a learning process and Anthony will quickly grow as each game passes and as his teammates

Platek's Confidence

Andrew Platek said last spring, the day before the Heels were eliminated by Auburn, that if he just got some extended time on the court he could get into a groove and the whole of his game would surface. He got some minutes Friday (24) and he certainly got into a groove. Platek played with more confidence than at any time in his UNC career to this point and was perhaps the most pleasant surprise for the Tar Heels.

The 6-foot-4 junior scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists (no turnovers) but also played a really solid floor game on both ends of the court. He was vocal, showed some leadership and was decisive in everything he did.

“Andrew is a good shooter,” Williams said. “He was 1-for-4 from the 3-point line and he was 0-for with whatever how many he took those stupid floaters… He’s got a few more weeks to show me he can make them or we’re going to put them in the basement.

“But, he’s a tough kid, tries to do the right thing, he made maybe the best pass of the game pitching it down the court to Armando (Bacot) as he was running down… Andrew’s a tough kid, too, and he missed some of preseason practice for his anke as well.”

The New Swiss Army Knife

Leaky Black has been compared to Theo Pinson since he signed with UNC, but they are different players. Just watch them play, they look quite different though the nu. With respect to Pinson early in his sophomore season, he might be more a come in similar fashion, if that makes any sense. Pinson might be more athletic and Black is a bit more skilled at the same stages in their UNC career, but they do a lot of the same things, as we saw Friday night.

Black is 6-foot-7 and sees the floor really well. He’s an able and willing passer, but he can score some, rebound and just flow well in the game. Williams said he’s going to be a pro and that’s likely, and the guy we saw on this night looked more complete and ready than the player we saw last season.

He finished with nine points, seven assists, five rebounds and a steal against one turnover in 19 minutes.

“For us to be a really good basketball team, Leaky’s got to stay healthy and play and not make the silly mistakes he made today,” Williams said. “But, seven assists and one turnover, 2-for-3 from the floor, I don’t mind if he shoots more than that. I like him taking the ball to the basket.”

Too Many Turnovers

The Tar Heels were a bit ragged at times, perhaps in part a product of playing a DII team in an exhibition and also the lineup changing so often, but they still weren’t nearly as clean with the ball as they will need to be next Wednesday when Notre Dame visits. Carolina finished with 23 turnovers, including four each by Anthony, Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks. Justin Pierce also had three

When asked what the primary problem for the turnovers was, Williams gave a short but to-the-point response.

“Stupidity,” he said.

Grad Transfers

We didn’t see a whole lot from Christian Keeling and Justin Pierce until Keeling’s very late flare up. They played – Keeling 21 minutes and Pierce 18 minutes – but Keeling was in some foul trouble and never really got into a flow and Pierce was definitely working to get comfortable out there. They’re seniors and have played a lot in college, but this is also a transition for them, too. One thing that was clear is both are aggressive, play with their heads up and look like they will absolutely help this team.

Keeling did have a short burst midway through the second half scoring five points over a 40-second span, one bucket a smooth 3-pointer, which is something he must give the Heels this season.

Keeling finished with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including 2-for-2 from 3-point range. He also grabbed two rebounds and handed out three assists against two turnovers. Pierce scored three points on 1-for-5 shooting, including 0-1 from the perimeter, while pulling down four rebounds, dishing out one assist and turning over the ball three times.

Dribble Penetration D

Winston-Salem State had entirely too much success driving into the lane getting buckets there or kicking it out to the perimeter for opens threes. It was just 8-for-30 from outside, but a lot of the looks were open. This needs to get cleaned up before Notre Dame visits next week because the Fighting Irish will do just that but with much better players.

A positive for the Heels is that Williams said they’ve been pretty good defensively in practice, so as bothered by their performance as he was, he said he was going to wait and watch the tape to get a better idea of how they played.

Rebounding Guards

You have to like how the guards crashed the boards and skillfully grabbed rebounds. Anthony, Platek and Black combined for 14 boards in limited time and considering how well Christian Keeling rebounded at Charleston Southern, this group’s ability to grab missed shots will be very important to their success.

Speed

This is a fast team and it will get faster as they learn to play more with one another. Anthony pushes the ball, Keeling fills lanes really well, Platek, Black, Pierce, Robinson and the bigs really do get up and down the floor.

Eight-Man Rotation

Williams made clear after the game there are eight guys he trusts enough right now, which means the team already has an eight-man rotation with Brandon Huffman the ninth guy when needed. The good thing about this for the Tar Heels is this group that has come together a bit unconventionally for UNC basketball should jell quickly.

It has two bigs, a small four/three, a big three who can play one and two, a true shooting guard and a true point guard. So the rotation comprises what a team needs to withstand the season, now it’s a matter of how long it takes for them to fully come together.