North Carolina Tar Heels: Four Lessons from BC

No Kennedy Meeks, no problem this time for the North Carolina Tar Heels. Against the Boston College Eagles, the Heels had to resort to a full team effort and they got it. The reward is continued participation in the ACC Tournament with Louisville awaiting and Virginia possibly after that. Here are some lessons from the victory.

1. Olivier Hanlan’s 18 points are deceptive

Hanlan was one of those guards who took advantage of matchups against the Heels during the regular season. In this game, Hanlan was harassed by a number of different defenders. Nate Britt, Marcus Paige, Joel Berry, and JP Tokoto all had some role in covering Hanlan. Hanlan went 5-19 in the game, with a lot of his work coming from the foul line.

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2. Marcus Paige nearly got his second double-double

For the Heels to be effective, Paige has to be a good shooter. For the Heels to be really good, he has to do that and facilitate his teammates. This game saw Paige do both. He led scoring with seventeen points AND found nine assists on the court.

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3. Rebounding advantage was telling

Despite the absence of Meeks, the Tar Heels beat the smaller Eagles on the boards. That was a forty-two to twenty-two advantage. That kind of disparity is difficult to overcome.

4. How’s It Going to Work? Teamwork

Seven players scored seven or more points in the outing. Whether it was Justin Jackson hitting a pair of three pointers or Joel Berry attacking the paint on fast breaks, each player seemed to make his own contribution. Tokoto provided four assists and nine rebounds on the night. There was even a Stilman White sighting in the first half.

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So the Tar Heels compiled the kind of effort that they will need throughout the tournament. Meeks is questionable for tomorrow, and Louisville might be the best matchup available to the Heels at this point.