Recap: North Carolina opens with win over Temple

One thing that North Carolina struggled in last season was their perimeter shooting. In their opening game on Friday, the Tar Heels came out and made a statement with their 91-67 win over Temple.

The Tar Heels drained seven of their 12 three-point attempts on Friday, showing signs of improvement from a team that ranked 99th in all of College Basketball last season. Oh and they did it without their best perimeter shooter in Marcus Paige.

North Carolina seized control of the game late in the first half, cruising with a second half that was very impressive. That second half also featured a scuffle as Tar Heels forward Brice Johnson threw down a slam and then hung on the rim before Temple’s Shawn Alston:

One thing about that scuffle is Nate Britt coming off the bench.  Assistant coach Steve Robinson yelled at Britt to get back, fearing for a technical. Britt was ejected but is not subject to suspension for Sunday’s game.

Now Johnson probably shouldn’t have hung on the rim that long, but pushing him down could have been a disaster for UNC if he were to get hurt. In the end, it’s just Brice being fired up.

Three things we noted

Kennedy Meeks fills the scoring void

Without Paige the Tar Heels would have to find a new source of offense, as Nate Britt and Joel Berry II will man down the point guard spot. On Friday, that source came from junior center Kennedy Meeks who scored 25 points and pulled down 11 rebounds in a big performance for the Heels.

Meeks improved from his freshman to sophomore season last year, and was a key contributor on the Sweet Sixteen team. On this team, Meeks is a big factor to the Tar Heels success.

Point guard battle

Going into the season we didn’t know who would start in place of Paige. On Friday, we got our answer. Head coach Roy Williams went to Joel Berry II for the start against Temple and he delivered.

Berry II finished with 14 points on 4-of-11 shooting but did make both of his three-point attempts. He also dished out four assists. In Carolina’s fast-paced offense, Berry II is the perfect point guard to get the ball down the floor and get the offense going.

As for Britt, he played 25 minutes spelling Berry II and the two even played on the court at the same time. If Britt can contribute like he did against Temple with 15 points, the Tar Heels will be spectacular at the guard position this season.

Impressive win?

While most big schools rolled over opponents they were supposed to, the Tar Heels may have earned a nice early-season win. Temple finished sixth in the American Athletic Conference last season and just missed out on a NCAA Tournament birth.

Yes, the Tar Heels were favored and were expected to win the game but Temple wasn’t a pushover. Temple isn’t a powerhouse, but if they make it to the tournament this season and UNC is fighting for a top seed, it could help the Tar Heels case.

Theo Pinson’s buzzer beater

Smooth.

https://twitter.com/ctgtv/status/665334934840565760

Scoring leaders notes

ACC writer Shawn Krest tweeted out an update on the North Carolina scoring list after last night’s game. Sophomore Justin Jackson moved up to 130th passing Bob Cunningham. Britt is now 135th.

Up Next

North Carolina will host Fairfield at the Dean Dome on Sunday at 3 p.m. local time as they look to go 2-0 on the early season.