UNC Basketball: Tar Heels move to 5-0 after win over Saint Francis

It wasn’t pretty at times but the Tar Heels moved to 5-0 after a win over Saint Francis on Monday night in Chapel Hill

The North Carolina Tar Heels got off to a good start in Monday’s win over Saint Francis in the Dean Dome but there was a moment or two in the second half where fans were a little worried.

After some sloppy play by turning the basketball over, Saint Francis was able to cut the lead down to 6 with just over 10 minutes to go. But UNC got back on track, behind freshman Nassir Little and ended up putting it away.

It was a big game for Little who finished with 19 points and had a big stretch in the second half to help UNC regain command of the game. Little showed off his versatility by winning battles in the paint and finishing at the rim when he had too.

He had a run where he scored 10 of the 14 points UNC had in just over a four-minute stretch in the second half, putting the Tar Heels up by 18 and essentially sealing it.

The Tar Heels jumped all over Saint Francis and opened up a double-digit lead in the first half. They took a 52-36 lead into the break despite their sloppy play in the first half.

That sloppy play continued in the second half with the Red Flash taking advantage and making it interesting at times.

But when UNC needed a bucket most, they looked at Little and senior Cameron Johnson who both delivered.

Johnson finished with a game-high 21 points and hit a few big shots in the second half to help UNC pull away. The senior shot 50 percent from the field and made 2 of his 6 three-point attempts.

As a team, UNC shot 52 percent from the field and 40 percent from the three-point line.

The shooting wasn’t the problem, instead it was the sloppy play as the Tar Heels committed 18 turnovers in the game. They did force the Red Flash into committing 17 turnovers of their own, so that’s a good thing on the defensive end.

Player of the game

We are going to go with the freshman Little on this one. He turned in one of his best performances of his early UNC career by scoring 19 points and grabbed 5 rebounds in just 16 minutes of play.

Little didn’t start again as Roy Williams rolled out the same starting lineup as the previous four games and as we go on with this season, it will be interesting to see if Little does actually earn a starting spot.

Stat of the game

We have to go with the turnovers. As mentioned above, UNC committed 18 turnovers in this game and it could have cost them.

The Tar Heels talent is superior to the Red Flash but when we start getting to these tough non-conference games and then ACC games, UNC will need to clean it up. Williams was not happy about the turnovers following the game and it’s something to watch for in Thursday’s matchup with Shaka Smart and Texas.

What’s next?

UNC heads to Nevada to play in the Las Vegas Invitational. The Tar Heels will open up the quick tournament with a game against Texas on Thursday then will take on UCLA or Michigan State depending on Thursday’s results.

Both UCLA and Michigan State are ranked in the Top 25 so this tournament will provide the first true test for UNC in non-conference play.