Lessons Learned from UNC basketball's stellar second half win over Virginia Tech

The UNC basketball program continued to prove that it can win without Caleb Wilson, as they pulled away from Virginia Tech after a tense first-half draw. The Tar Heels seemed to be playing with one arm tied behind their back in the first half, with quiet performances across the board, save from a breakout game from West Virginia transfer Jonathan Powell.

But second-half explosions from Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar powered Carolina past Virginia Tech, and the Tar Heels are closing in on a potential double-bye in the ACC Tournament. Who thought they'd be here after the Miami and (increasingly frustrating) NC State losses, right?

Let's dive into some lessons learned from the win over Virginia Tech.

Transition Points

Virginia Tech is ranked #261 in the NCAA in fastbreak points per game with 8.54 points per game. The Hokies had 11 at halftime.

The Marines handling Toys for Tots can't wait to see North Carolina come by their boxes this Christmas, as the Tar Heels were especially generous with the rock. UNC turned the ball over eight times in the first half, which Virginia Tech turned into 12 points. The live-ball turnovers led to a lot of dunks, especially from Tobi Lawal, who even had time to get fancy:

That easy supply of points was cut off in the second half. UNC was fastidious in its ball handling and set offense, cutting turnovers from eight in the first half to just five in the second. Most of them were of the dead-ball variety, annoying but not deadly.

Related was UNC's second-half surge in fastbreak points. The Tar Heels tripled their first-half output of just two points, thanks to the team ratcheting up the defense. There's always some luck involved with run outs, especially this one by Seth Trimble, his second such solo dunk in as many games: