In a game that was more physical than most college football games, the UNC basketball program secured a 15-point victory over Radford to improve to 3-0 on the early season.
Already playing without senior captain Seth Trimble, the Tar Heels were hoping that everyone would stay healthy in their first game without him in the lineup. Unfortunately, Jarin Stevenson went down early with what appeared to be an ankle injury, forcing him to miss nearly 10 minutes of action in the first half of play.
North Carolina couldn't get going while Radford hung tough, despite dealing with massive foul trouble. The Tar Heels were in the same boat, as Caleb Wilson had three fouls at the 5:49 mark of the first half while Kyan Evans and Jonathan Powell were also hampered by foul issues.
A 22-9 run at the end of the half put the Tar Heels up 13, a lead they wouldn't squander.
Before getting into the individual numbers, it's important to note that there were 90, yes, 90 free throws attempted in this game. The two teams combined for 55 fouls, 33 coming from the Highlanders, resulting in four players from the visiting team fouling out of the game entirely.
The UNC basketball program had a rough night from the free throw line, connecting on just 31 of 49 attempts. Tuesday night's outcome could've been a lot different had the Tar Heels not struggle at the line or beyond-the-arc (knocking down 8 of 31 attempts from deep).
After a rough first half in his first college start, Luka Bogavac picked it up in the second half. The international transfer scored a team-high 19 points, adding 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Henri Veesaar asserted his dominance once again, contributing 18 points and 7 rebounds, while Jarin Stevenson (who was able to return after heading to the locker room for injury evaluation) had a strong night, contributing 15 points and 7 rebounds. Caleb Wilson didn't have his best night but still came away with his first collegiate double-double.
Hubert Davis had to go deeper in his bench than he probably wanted to, having to not only figure out how to fill Trimble's void but also sort through foul trouble (especially with Wilson). This game had the feel of being one of those let-down performances after a big win, but fortunately, the Tar Heels found a way to still get the job done.
North Carolina returns to action on Friday night as they welcome NC Central to the Dean Smith Center for a 9:00 PM EST tip-off.