Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball: Grades for Tar Heels’ game against Furman

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 14: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes up for a dunk against the Furman Paladins during the second half of their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on December 14, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - DECEMBER 14: Armando Bacot #5 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes up for a dunk against the Furman Paladins during the second half of their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on December 14, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 14: Anthony Harris #0 of the North Carolina Tar Heels goes to the basket against Alex Hunter #10 of the Furman Paladins during the second half of their game at the Dean E. Smith Center on December 14, 2021 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Grading every UNC basketball player for their performance against the Furman Paladins

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Again on Tuesday night, the Tar Heels got off to a slow start in front of their home crowd at the Dean Smith Center.

It’s a trend we’ve seen from the Tar Heels on a number of occasions this season, but one that their fans would certainly like to see come to an end. On the other hand, the Tar Heels’ tendency to play efficient inspired basketball in the second half of games is a trend that the UNC faithful would love to see carry on.

They got their wish on at least one of those in a game against the Furman Paladins, as the Tar Heels brushed off their rugged start to the game and got up by as many as 22 points in the second half and ultimately won by a baker’s dozen.

Despite the more than 14,000 white and blue-clad fans chanting in unison for the Tar Heels, they didn’t seem to have much of an advantage over the game’s first 20 minutes; and they definitely didn’t have an advantage at halftime. Rather, they were knotted at 39 points apiece and had given up eight three-pointers to the sharpshooting Paladins.

Following the break, North Carolina looked like a different team; the one we often look for in the first half of games but don’t see until the second. It was then that they began to impose their will on defense, closing out better on three-point shooters, and making their opponent take tougher shots. It’s the latter version of the Tar Heels that fans are hoping shows up in a Saturday afternoon matchup with the No. 4 UCLA Bruins, and they’ll have to if they want any chance at walking away with a victory.

But before we get to the Tar Heels’ marquee non-conference matchup this weekend, let’s take a few moments to review how the boys in Carolina blue did against the Paladins from an individual standpoint. A couple of the usual suspects earned A’s for their respective performances, while others didn’t fare nearly as well.

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