After losing their first exhibition game against BYU, the Tar Heels returned to Chapel Hill and blew out Winston-Salem State to earn their first exhibition win. There were a lot of good things that we saw
in this game from a lot of different Tar Heels, which is encouraging considering that the regular season starts on Monday. However, there were definitely some not-so-great moments as well, but it is worth noting that a lot of the poor moments were in the first half. Chalk it up to nerves of a lot of these guys playing a real game in the Smith Center for the first time, or chalk it up to it just being a sloppy exhibition game. Either way, things dramatically improved in the second half, and that is all that matters.
Let’s talk about the three things that we learned from the Heels’ encouraging exhibition victory.
Caleb Wilson shines again
After an impressive performance against a BYU team that featured one of the best players in the country, freshman star Caleb Wilson put on a show in his first game in the Smith Center. He finished his night with a game-high 23 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and a steal. The stats speak for themselves, but in case it needs to be said, Wilson did just about everything on the floor tonight, and did it like a player that could finish the season as a first team All-ACC candidate. The only thing he wasn’t able to do was knock down a three-pointer, but it’s hard to see him going the rest of the season without being able to knock down a shot from deep.
What has been the most impressive thing about Wilson’s game so far is how active he is around the rim. Whether he is driving or is simply getting to the boards, he plays with more energy than we’ve seen from someone his size in a while. He also has a knack for knocking down mid-range jumpers, which is going to make him really difficult to deal with when teams are playing zone defense. There’s a lot more that can be said, but ultimately Wilson looked as advertised in his two exhibition appearances, and it will be exciting to see what he does when the regular season begins this Monday.
Jarin Stevenson could potentially be a (good) problem
There has been a lot said about Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson’s potential with the Tar Heels, and what has probably come up the most is his ability to shoot three-pointers. It’s safe to say that Carolina fans have been scarred from past experiences with transfers arriving on campus as shooters, but ultimately turning out to be pumpkins. This doesn’t seem to be the case for Stevenson so far, especially after what he was able to do tonight.
Stevenson finished the game with 10 points, six rebounds, and two blocks. He shot 80% from the field, and he managed to go 2-3 from the three-point line. While we didn’t see him shooting an avalanche of shots from the perimeter, the shots that Stevenson did take looked really good. It’s also worth noting that Henri Veesaar eventually joined the party by knocking down a three-pointer of his own. UNC suffered from a major size problem last season, so the fact that they have two big men that can also shoot from the perimeter almost feels like Carolina fan fiction rather than reality. Let’s hope Stevenson can be an impact player in the regular season, because if so this team could be a lot better than national analysts thought.
While not perfect, UNC’s defense was impressive
This is a dangerous take to have after a game against Winston-Salem State, but the Tar Heels looked really impressive on the defense side of the ball most of the night. Looking at the stats, UNC stole the ball eight times and also had seven blocks, which is a testament to how active they were. Limiting Winston-Salem to just 28% shooting sounds like one of those “you were supposed to do that” stats, but the eye test is what made their performance impressive. Guys were guarding aggressively, moving with a purpose, and their active hands led to the steals and blocks mentioned a moment ago. They aren’t going to hold teams to 28% every night — and if we’re being honest, they probably won’t do it again for the rest of the season — but this team does have a lot of potential to create problems for opposing teams.
A few players to highlight from a defensive perspective are Caleb Wilson, Jarin Stevenson, Henri Veesaar, and Kyan Evans. All four players had a sizable impact guarding the Rams, which tracks considering the fact that these are also the names that we have heard about for some months now when it comes to defense. Throw in Seth Trimble, who we all know has been a really good defender throughout his Carolina career, and you’re looking at a starting lineup that will be tough to deal with.
