UNC Basketball: Tar Heels blow past Stanford in home opener

Despite a poor second half, the Tar Heels were able to blow past Stanford in their home opener on Monday night

After playing their first two games on the road, the North Carolina Tar Heels finally got to play in front of their home crowd on the Roy Williams Court in the Dean E. Smith Center on Monday.

UNC opened up their home schedule by taking on a 2-0 Stanford team that was coming off wins over Seattle and UNC-Wilmington.

Early on the Tar Heels made their presence known on the glass, dominating the rebounding edge especially on the offensive glass for the second-straight game. The rebounding edge gave UNC more opportunities on the offensive end and the Tar Heels took advantage by opening up a 20-9 lead in the first 10 minutes of the first half and they never looked back.

Senior Kenny Williams made his first field goal of the season early in the first half on a driving lay up for the first bucket of the game. A couple of possessions later, Williams drained a three-pointer as UNC took an early 7-0 lead.

Stanford really never got close in the first half as the Tar Heels put together an impressive half by shooting 60 percent and out-rebounding the Cardinal 24-11.

The highlight of the first half came from freshman Nassir Little as he soared through the air to grab an alley-oop from Seventh Woods. It was Little’s first college dunk at home and it got the crowd into it.

UNC closed out the half with a Luke Maye three-pointer at the buzzer to double up Stanford 52-26.

The second half was a bit of a different story for the Tar Heels.

They shot under 40 percent in the half and Stanford out scored the Tar Heels 46-38 in the final half. Thanks to the big first half, Stanford never made it close otherwise it could have been a different story.

Cam Johnson led all scorers with 17 points and 7 rebounds in the game as the Tar Heels had four of their starters finish in double-figures. Luke Maye had 16 points while Kenny Williams and Garrison Brooks finished with 12 each.

Brooks also grabbed 6 rebounds on the game.  Little had 8 points and missed all three of his three-point attempts. Freshman Rechon Black turned in an impressive performance going 4-of-4 from the field and finishing with 8 points.

Stat of the game

45-35. That was the rebounding numbers with the Tar Heels owning the edge on the glass against Stanford. UNC grabbed 32 defensive rebounds, allowing the Cardinal to have 11 offensive rebounds in the game.

Once again, the Tar Heels look like they are going to be one of the best rebounding teams in the country. Players like Garrison Brooks and Sterling Manley have really stepped up for the Tar Heels early in their sophomore seasons which is a good sign moving forward.

Player of the game

Cam Johnson turned in another impressive performance, making 7-of-11 field goal attempts including 3-of-4 from the three-point line. The senior is off to a hot start this year and is getting it done on both ends of the floor.

Through the first three games it looks like Johnson has found his comfort zone and that’s good news for UNC this season. When they will eventually need a big shot, Johnson could be the guy they turn to in a clutch situation.

What’s next?

The Tar Heels return to action on Friday night when they host the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles in the Dean Dome. Tennessee Tech is currently 0-2 this season losing at Memphis and at home to Presbyterian.

This game is part of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational as a Campus Game. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m. EST.