Forcing Tempo
Early in the second half, American dictated the tempo by running its patented slow offense and some zone defense. It was helpful that they were hitting threes at a typical "small school's first visit to the Dean Dome pace, allowing them to run back and set their defense without a transition attack.
Hubert Davis had about enough of that with about 11 minutes left in the first half. To counter the pace trap American set, Davis deployed a full-court press to speed up the Eagles, and UNC ratcheted up the defensive pressure, forcing turnovers for fast break points and trips to the free-throw line.
North Carolina's guard-heavy line-up will necessitate a lot of open court magic to win games this season, so we can expect a lot of American's tactics going forward. Imagine a more gifted team like Virginia enacting this game plan. The Tar Heels need to be able to force tempo like they did in the first half.