It can be hard to pick a Player of the Game when almost the entire team shows up like UNC did in their 99-51 win over East Carolina on Monday night. The Heels had four players finish with double-digit
point totals, shot 54% as a team from the field, and outrebounded the Pirates. UNC also forced 17 turnovers, something that’s been a bit of a weakness for this team. Obviously, the quality of the opponent plays into some of these stats but most of the team contributed to this win.
That being said, when you do something that no UNC player has done in nearly 50 years it’s hard not to get the Player of the Game nod. Wilson finished with a game-high 21 points in only 24 minutes. This marks his fifth consecutive game scoring 20+ points; he’s only the second freshman in UNC history to accomplish this (Phil Ford was the first). Wilson also dominated ECU on defense, pulling down 12 rebounds and recording three steals and four blocks. He wasn’t quite perfect; he turned the ball over four times and shot 7-13 from the free throw line. Still, he was easily the best player on the floor and deserves every accolade that will be written about him after this game.
Seth Trimble deserves a major honorable mention for his play as well. He scored just 12 points on 5-12 shooting, but was a primary cog in the Heels offense as he dished out a team-high five assists with only one turnover. While his defensive stats don’t look impressive on the stat sheet (one steal), he was the primary defender on ECU’s best scorer, Jordan Riley. Riley came in averaging almost 22 points a game but ended up shooting a paltry 4-24 from the field. Riley finished with only 11 points and was a non-factor for most of the game; without him, the Pirates offense had no one else to go to.
I also feel compelled to note that Henri Veesaar scored 16 points on the back of 4-5 shooting from three. He’s now shooting over 50% from long distance; having a big man with that kind of range bodes well for the Heels going forward, even if it’s unlikely he shoots over 50% for the season.
Wilson and the rest of the Heels have the rest of the week off and will return to action on December 30th, when UNC will open ACC play against Florida State.
