North Carolina’s flaws shone brightly as the Tar Heels couldn’t survive a 19-0 run early in the second half as they fell to Michigan 73-64. (11/28)
Carolina’s first loss on the season dropped the Heels to the consolation game of the Battle of Atlantis Tournament in the Bahamas at 11:30 a.m. Friday.
UNC coach Roy Williams said his team needs more intensity, more toughness and needs to figure out a way to put the ball in the basket.
The Tar Heels shot just 43 percent from the floor while hitting only two three-point shots in 12 attempts. To make matters worse, Carolina missed half of its free throw attempts (10 of 20).
Cole Anthony helped UNC jump out to an 18-10 lead with eight of his team-high 22 points but it was downhill from there.
An 11-2 run gave Michigan the lead at 21-20 midway through the first half. The game went back and forth for five minutes before the Wolverines took the lead for good and led 39-34 at the break.
Tar Heel fans probably weren’t worried yet as the team has come out early in the second half of games – this season and past seasons. But the result was different on this day.
It was Michigan that turned it on early in the second half going on a 21-2 run, which included a 19-0 stretch that saw the Wolverines hit three triples. Michigan ended with 11 threes on the day, nine more than the Heels.
Despite being down 60-36 with 11 minutes to go, Carolina didn’t give up as the Heels went on a 23-7 run of their own to cut the deficit to single digits at 67-59 with just over three minutes to play.
It never got closer as Eli Brooks, who led Michigan with 24 points, wrapped it up with his fourth three-pointer of the game.
While he said he was proud of the way the Tar Heels battled, Coach Williams said it was “one ugly first part of the seocnd half for us,” noting that his players managed only one field goal in eight minutes.
He said his club was 5-0 coming in but that it wasn’t a good 5-0. That showed. Coach Williams said the Tar Heels too quick, bad shots and were soft defensively inside. He did give credit for the win to new Michigan coach Juwan Howard and the Wolverine players. But he’s not happy with his club right or himself right now.
“We’ve got to get better and I’ve got to do a better job,” he said adding that his team shoots well in practice but that it hasn’t shown in games yet. “My team has a chance to be a really good team.”
It didn’t show in this one.