Total domination: Three takeaways from UNC's lopsided win over rival NC State

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — They opened the doors Wednesday to the Smith Center and let everyone in to see North Carolina play a little basketball with N.C. State.

On a snowy night in the Triangle, the decision was made by UNC to allow anyone who could make it to the game to see the game. Students also could grab open seats close to the court, amping up the decibel count, creating a more raucous environment.

Those who were at the game saw the Tar Heels do nearly anything they wanted once the ball went up, racing up and down the floor, nailing 3-pointers, dunking, slicing up the Pack defense, forcing turnovers and rolling to a 97-73 victory over a Wolfpack team that looked hapless at times.

Wolfpack coach Kevin Keatts did what he could to try to stop his team’s bleeding, using his timeouts, extolling his guys to play harder, smarter. Nothing worked. Not for the Pack.

The Heels, operating smoothly, led 16-6 early, then 28-10 midway through the first half. By halftime, it was 54-26 UNC — that after the Heels’ Cade Tyson missed a 3-pointer from the corner at the buzzer.

But Tyson, rarely used in recent games, already had done his damage, knocking down a pair of corner 3s that had the crowd roaring. Everyone UNC coach Hubert Davis sent into the game, and nearly every offensive and defensive call, seemed to click this night as the Heels followed up their 88-82 win at Syracuse with a homecourt runaway.

This was anything but like the game in Raleigh in January that the Heels won, 63-61. UNC controlled every facet.

The Pack, which led the ACC in fewest turnovers a game (9.2), had nine in the opening half. The first came seconds after State controlled the opening jump ball, Michael O’Connell’s pass to Marcus Hill bouncing into the backcourt — an unforced error.

More turnovers would follow, including two by freshman Trey Parker in a nine-second span against UNC’s full-court, trapping pressure as the Heels opened the 16-6 lead. It would only continue to grow.

By game’s end, nearly all the good numbers belonged to the Tar Heels (16-11 overall, 9-6 ACC). R.J. Davis was again the leading scorer with 21 points while Seth Trimble had 14 and Ven-Allen Lubin 13.

The game was a homecoming of sorts for State’s Dontrez Styles, who played two years at UNC before transferring to Georgetown. Styles still counts UNC’s Davis, Trimble and others among his close friends, but his return to the Smith Center proved to be frustrating for the senior from Kinston.

In the first half, Styles was caught out of position defensively as Trimble worked his way open under the basket. Styles turned and bear-hugged Trimble, who scored and converted the “and-one” for a 40-17 lead.

Styles did find some offensive openings in the second half, finishing with 18 points. Jayden Taylor had a team-high 19 points for the Wolfpack (10-16, 3-12), which put an end to a nine-game losing streak Saturday with a 70-62 win over Boston College.

Although the Smith Center was a happy place most of Wednesday night, UNC chancellor Lee Roberts produced the biggest cheer of the night, grabbing the mic in the first half announcing Thursday classes had been canceled.

Three takeaways from the game:

Pack lacks energy, urgency

N.C. State players said the Wolfpack beat Boston College on Saturday because the team came out of the locker room with an increased energy; a backs-against-the-wall mentality.

That did not carry over to Chapel Hill.

The Wolfpack has struggled all season in most categories — notably rebounding and scoring — but has at least remained competitive; its energy and urgency helping keep it in games.

Wednesday, N.C. State looked worse than it did against Louisville. It allowed Carolina to score its most points in a first half this season and did so with ease.

Then, the Tar Heels started the second half with two dunks from Lubin. He also got to the basket with ease. He added a third — Davis throwing the lob — five minutes later.

N.C. State added a few 3s during the stretch; the deficit, however, was too large. Too much is on the line for the Wolfpack not to care, but that’s how it looked.

UNC likes lineup look

It took a while this season, but the Heels may have found a starting lineup to their liking.

For the second straight game, UNC went with two bigs as Jae’Lyn Withers joined Lubin in the lineup. Withers, who had a season-high 19 points at Syracuse, continued to show off his 3-point touch, knocking down a pair of shots from the arc early as the Heels raced to their big early lead.

The Heels have used a four-guard lineup a lot this season, at times with Jalen Washington as the only big man. But Withers offers more versatility with his outside touch and ability to both score inside and defend in the paint.

Lubin is not as quick off the floor as Washington but has good size at 6-8 and 230 pounds and knows how to use it. He’s effective on the pick-and-roll, getting to the basket three times in the second half for lob dunks that excited the crowd.

Rough night for Parker, Pack

Parker entered the game early in the first half and made a quick impact — negatively.

The freshman replaced Hill at the first media timeout and had a disastrous three minutes. Parker committed a turnover two seconds into his appearance. RJ Davis recorded the steal, and Seth Trimble scored.

Parker added a second turnover on the following inbound pass, before the Heels turned the mistake into another layup. About a minute and a half later, Parker missed his defensive assignment and allowed Davis to make an easy layup. Hill replaced Parker again after the guard committed a third turnover.

Parker’s brief appearance felt like foreshadowing of the rest of the Wolfpack’s performance. Parker entered the game as a major contributor in N.C. State’s past six games, averaging 10.8 points per game, while shooting 47.2% from the field and 52% from 3.

The rookie committed eight turnovers in six games. He more than doubled that in a few minutes at the Smith Center.