University of North Carolina Athletics
Isaiah Denis
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
November 10, 2026 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
Quick takeaways from Tuesday's nonconference game.
By Adam Lucas
1. A better second half performance was enough for Carolina to beat Wyoming, 76-63. The Heels are 3-0.
2. The easy way to sum up that entire evening was with the rebounding numbers. In the first half, Wyoming dominated the backboards, including rolling up a 60 percent offensive rebounding rate (it recovered 15 of its 25 misses). That figure plummeted to below 20 percent in the second half, as the Cowboys got just four offensive boards.
3. Carolina even won the overall rebounding battle in the second half, 20-18. Sayon Keita contributed a career-high eight boards (to go with his career-high 13 points and career-high six blocks), and Maximo Adams continued to be a rebounding asset off the bench, as he had nine along with his 11 points.
4. It felt like Terrence Brown's energy helped change the game in the second half. After going just 2-for-7 in the first half, he was better in the second half, and also turned up his defensive intensity. Brown finished with 14 points. He also, by the way, had five rebounds.
5. Nice performance from Isaiah Denis off the bench. As Michael Malone continues to use him in more of a point guard role, the sophomore scored 14 points and was a solid +13. He also had just one turnover in 20 minutes.
6. Not much doubt about the story of the first 20 minutes. Wyoming secured 15 of the first 20 rebounds in the game and eventually had a 25-15 rebounding edge in the first half. A whopping 15 of those boards were offensive. The Cowboys missed 25 shots, which means they rebounded 60 percent of their misses. Not surprisingly, they had a 13-4 edge in second chance points. Carolina was fortunate to lead, 31-29, at the break.
7. In his pregame comments on the Tar Heel Sports Network, Malone referred to Neo Avdalas and Denis as "our primary ball-handlers" while complimenting the way they've taken care of the ball so far this year. That also speaks to how the Heels want to use Brown. He looks much more comfortable as a slasher and scorer, and he attempted all 16 of his shots from two-point range on Tuesday.
8. Carolina has had three very differently officiated games. The first contest of the year was a nearly two-and-a-half hour marathon. The other two have had a much lighter whistle. Of course, the Heels wanted a light whistle at the line on Tuesday, because they hit just nine of 18 charity tosses.
9. The previous UNC-Wyoming meeting was part of the 2003 NIT, when a rowdy general admission crowd saw the Heels swat the Cowboys, 90-74, as Raymond Felton had 15 points and 14 assists.
10. Tuesday marked Carolina's 600th game at the Smith Center. The Heels are now 510-90 in the building and 244-19 (.928) against nonconference opponents. The victory was the team's 21st straight home win, the fifth-longest streak in Smith Center history and tenth-longest of all time at home.
11. Carolina is back in the Smith Center Friday night for a matchup against Georgia. The Bulldogs are 3-0 early in the season with wins over North Carolina Central, Presbyterian and Florida Gulf Coast.
1. A better second half performance was enough for Carolina to beat Wyoming, 76-63. The Heels are 3-0.
2. The easy way to sum up that entire evening was with the rebounding numbers. In the first half, Wyoming dominated the backboards, including rolling up a 60 percent offensive rebounding rate (it recovered 15 of its 25 misses). That figure plummeted to below 20 percent in the second half, as the Cowboys got just four offensive boards.
3. Carolina even won the overall rebounding battle in the second half, 20-18. Sayon Keita contributed a career-high eight boards (to go with his career-high 13 points and career-high six blocks), and Maximo Adams continued to be a rebounding asset off the bench, as he had nine along with his 11 points.
4. It felt like Terrence Brown's energy helped change the game in the second half. After going just 2-for-7 in the first half, he was better in the second half, and also turned up his defensive intensity. Brown finished with 14 points. He also, by the way, had five rebounds.
5. Nice performance from Isaiah Denis off the bench. As Michael Malone continues to use him in more of a point guard role, the sophomore scored 14 points and was a solid +13. He also had just one turnover in 20 minutes.
6. Not much doubt about the story of the first 20 minutes. Wyoming secured 15 of the first 20 rebounds in the game and eventually had a 25-15 rebounding edge in the first half. A whopping 15 of those boards were offensive. The Cowboys missed 25 shots, which means they rebounded 60 percent of their misses. Not surprisingly, they had a 13-4 edge in second chance points. Carolina was fortunate to lead, 31-29, at the break.
7. In his pregame comments on the Tar Heel Sports Network, Malone referred to Neo Avdalas and Denis as "our primary ball-handlers" while complimenting the way they've taken care of the ball so far this year. That also speaks to how the Heels want to use Brown. He looks much more comfortable as a slasher and scorer, and he attempted all 16 of his shots from two-point range on Tuesday.
8. Carolina has had three very differently officiated games. The first contest of the year was a nearly two-and-a-half hour marathon. The other two have had a much lighter whistle. Of course, the Heels wanted a light whistle at the line on Tuesday, because they hit just nine of 18 charity tosses.
9. The previous UNC-Wyoming meeting was part of the 2003 NIT, when a rowdy general admission crowd saw the Heels swat the Cowboys, 90-74, as Raymond Felton had 15 points and 14 assists.
10. Tuesday marked Carolina's 600th game at the Smith Center. The Heels are now 510-90 in the building and 244-19 (.928) against nonconference opponents. The victory was the team's 21st straight home win, the fifth-longest streak in Smith Center history and tenth-longest of all time at home.
11. Carolina is back in the Smith Center Friday night for a matchup against Georgia. The Bulldogs are 3-0 early in the season with wins over North Carolina Central, Presbyterian and Florida Gulf Coast.
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballWednesday, November 11
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Tuesday, November 10