.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
December 29, 2016 | Men's Basketball
By Adam Lucas
1. Well, that was not at all the game anyone expected. Carolina got an ugly 102-74 win in a game that had pretty much everything, none of it attractive.
2. Justin Jackson was about as hot as he's ever been in his Tar Heel career in the first half, tossing in five effortless three-pointers in the first 14 minutes. But what you love about Jackson is he never hunted his shot even when he was hot, trying to find teammates the next two offensive possessions after that fifth three-pointer.
Jackson finished with 28 points, five assists and five rebounds in one of his most complete games as a Tar Heel.
3. But even Jackson was not immune from the turnover bug that infected the Tar Heels (17 turnovers). Jackson committed a pair but had plenty of company, including ten from the UNC starters alone.
4. That's not a game that's going on the Monmouth highlight reel. The Hawks collected three technical fouls in the first three minutes of the second half and seemed very close to the edge for most of the second half, including a really strange final minute from Dan Pillari. Monmouth, it's fair to say, had a frustrating evening, and you know King Rice would've liked it to go differently. Credit to Rice for keeping his team under control even as multiple things went against them and they seemed to be teetering. "Don't embarrass me in this place," he told one of his players late in the game. The Smith Center clearly means something to the UNC letterman.
Rice then was heated in the postgame handshake line but was very emotional and apologetic in the postgame press conference about the way the game got out of hand.
5. Speaking of the Smith Center, the Tar Heels put over 20,000 people in the building for a Wednesday game against Monmouth. The crowd, as almost always for the after-Christmas game, was loud and into it for most of the evening.
6. Tony Bradley is simply a weapon that most teams aren't going to have. Carolina's third post man managed 10 points and seven rebounds in only 14 minutes of action, and also made three blocks.
7. Bradley's time was limited because of the great performance from Kennedy Meeks, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds to go with three assists. Meeks made quick moves in the paint and was effective all evening.
8. Carolina had a pretty fair alumni team on hand. In addition to King Rice, former Tar Heel lettermen JR Reid (a close friend of Rice's from their Chapel Hill days), Justin Watts, Donald Williams, Matt Doherty and Lennie Rosenbluth were at the game.
9. The victory marks the final nonconference game of the year. The start to conference play is a little tougher than usual this year, as the Tar Heels start with two straight road ACC games for the first time since the 1997-98 season.
10. Perhaps the most pressure-packed free throws of Kanler Coker's life? The Tar Heel reserve went to the line with 36 seconds left and Carolina needing two points for biscuits. He calmly knocked down all three shots to send the crowd home happy.
11. Even the 28-point win was messy enough to give Williams exactly what he wants in the practices leading up to ACC play. He substituted five-for-five three times in the second half as he tried to find any group that would give him the consistent effort that he wanted, and on two of those substitutions greeted the quintet coming off the court by standing at the far end of the bench with his arms crossed.
