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The North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Wofford 109-70 on Friday night in their second game of the season.
Following a disappointing performance against Western Carolina, the Tar Heels needed to make a statement against Wofford. With that in mind, here are a few takeaways and reactions from North Carolina's dominant victory.
These players must have heard the criticism from head coach Michael Malone and the public eye, as they made a concerted effort to crash the boards. You saw all five players on the court prioritizing recording as many rebounds as possible. Wofford still managed to battle North Carolina in this department, which is still a concern, but the Tar Heels taking exception to this narrative was a welcome sight.
Sayon Keita surpassed his rebounding total from Monday night (2) before the first media timeout on Friday night. This is still a work in progress, but it's definitely encouraging. Not to mention, the ability to corral defensive rebounds elevated the offensive output, providing ample opportunities to push the ball in transition.
North Carolina depth is immense, and it showed, as all 10 players who played in the first half scored. This shows that the Tar Heels won't be overly reliant on one or two players to carry the load offensively. In the first half, North Carolina's bench contributed 23 points, with Alexandros Samodurov leading the second unit with nine points.
If the team can maintain this level of production throughout the rotation, North Carolina could develop into a formidable team. The Tar Heels had five players in double digits against Wofford: Terrence Brown (21), Jaydon Young (15), Alexandros Samodurov (13), Maximo Adams (11), and Jarin Stevenson (10).
Brown struggled throughout the preseason and was underwhelming in the season opener, despite scoring 14 points. The Utah transfer played to his strengths, creating off the dribble and exploding to the rim in transition.
Brown's calling card throughout his career has been his ability to score in bunches, and that was evident Friday night. The 6-foot-3, 180-pound guard led the Tar Heels with 21 points while shooting 7-of-11 from the field, including 1-of-2 from three-point range.
Despite being an incoming freshman, the 6-foot-7, 220-pound forward is already one of the best players on the team. Adams' debut was impressive, and he somehow surpassed that on Friday night, recording a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The former 4-star recruit shot 5-of-10 from the field, including 1-of-3 from beyond the arc.