UNC beats WSSU fairly easily. Here are five observations from Friday’s exhibition
It wasn’t pretty, but North Carolina handled Winston Salem State fairly easily in its exhibition game on Friday night.
There were turnovers, and at times bad defense. The Ram shot only 33 percent from the floor, but they often got to the basket with ease, and missed some open 3’s.
But the Tar Heels won 96-61.
“Coach (Dean) Smith used to say you shouldn’t get too mad until you look at the tape,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “I’m already too mad, so I’m not going to say anything else until I look at the tape.”
The Tar Heels are coming off a 29-7 season and a Sweet 16 finish in 2019. They lost their top five scorers from the 2018 team and return only one starter — Garrison Brooks.
But with one of the top recruiting classes in the country this year, their goal and expectation remains to get to the Final Four.
Based on this game, the Tar Heels are far from where they want to be. Brooks led the Tar Heels with 18 points and 11 rebounds. He was 8 of 10 from the floor, with the majority of his points coming close to the basket.
Grad transfer Christian Keeling had 14 points.
Here are five observations from Friday’s exhibition:
1. Cole Anthony had some struggles in debut
In his first regulation game as a Tar Heel, Anthony struggled some. He was 5 of 13 from the floor, and finished with 11 points.
He also had four turnovers, which is something he must cut down on. A few of his passes were careless. He did, however, have seven assists.
When asked how he thought he played, Anthony said, “terrible.”
“It wasn’t good,” Anthony said. He said he wanted to be more confident going forward, adding that he was a little nervous for his first college game, especially in the first half.
“Second half started a little bit better, but that’s not saying much,” he said.
Anthony is expected to be the Tar Heels’ leading scorer this season. He had 28 points against Villanova in the team’s secret scrimmage last week.
Williams was a little more forgiving.
“The good news is, if I have to worry about Cole, I guess I won’t have many worries,” Williams said. “He’s been really good for us.”
2. The Brandon Robinson injury
Robinson, a senior wing, turned his ankle early in the first half. He came down awkwardly as he attempted to block a shot. He immediately grabbed at his ankle. Williams and the team’s trainer came over to check on him.
Robinson managed to get up on his own power, but walked off the court and into the locker room gingerly. He did not return to the game.
His status for Wednesday’s season-opener against Notre Dame is unclear. After the game, Robinson was seen with his ankle wrapped. He was using crutches to get around.
Robinson appeared poised to start for the Tar Heels this season. He was aggressive early, scoring eight of the Tar Heels’ first 21 points. He was 5-for-6 from the free throw line and 1-for-2 from the floor.
The Tar Heels were looking for another scorer outside of freshman guard Cole Anthony, and Robinson showed potential there.
Williams wasn’t immediately sure of Robinson’s injury.
“They are going to have some X-Rays done tomorrow morning,” Williams said, “and we’ll know more after we see that.”
3. The Tar Heels looked sloppy at times
UNC had 26 assists, but turned it over 23 times against Winston Salem State. At times, the Tar Heels played carelessly. Anthony, Brooks and Armando Bacot had four turnovers each.
Those turnovers led to 17 points for Winston Salem State.
This has been a common theme for the Tar Heels in recent years. Last season, in their exhibition game against Mount Olive, the Tar Heels turned it over 22 times.
Eventually, the Tar Heels were able to overcome its turnovers. But it took some time.
This year’s season-opener will be different than in years past. Most ACC teams will open with a conference game. UNC will host Notre Dame, making it crucial for the Tar Heels to clean up their mistakes.
4. Leaky Black looking much improved
It appears Black has added a new element to his game. The 3-point shot.
Black, a 6-8, 195-pound wing and point guard, attempted two 3-pointers in Friday’s exhibition and made both.
Because of Black’s versatility and ability to play multiple positions, he’ll likely be counted on a lot this season — especially if Robinson is out for an extended period of time. But adding a 3-point shot to his game will only make him more dangerous.
When he plays point guard he towers over smaller guards.
He made a few nice passes on Friday. He finished with 9 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 1 turnover. Black is coming off an ankle injury he suffered last season that kept him out for some time.
He said Friday that he feels 98 percent healthy.
5. More injuries
UNC junior forward Sterling Manley did not dress out for Friday’s preseason game. He remains sidelined with a sore knee. Manley began experiencing soreness in his knee midway through the 2018-19 season.
He missed half the season, and returned in the NCAA tournament, but only played briefly.
UNC freshmen Anthony Harris and Jeremiah Francis also sat out. Both are dealing with injuries they sustained in high school. Because of their injuries, UNC has only been able to practice with eight scholarship players. Robinson’s injury would make that seven.
This story was originally published November 1, 2019 at 10:09 PM with the headline "UNC beats WSSU fairly easily. Here are five observations from Friday’s exhibition."
