CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — North Carolina’s 80-63 win over Elon on Saturday night at the Dean E. Smith Center marked a feat only Leaky Black, Armando Bacot and Anthony Harris have ever experienced at Carolina: a four game win streak.
As simple as it sounds, Carolina hadn’t won four straight since starting the 2019-20 season 5-0. The Tar Heels (7-2) will get their chance to match that streak Tuesday at home against Furman.
Against the Phoenix (2-8), UNC struggled offensively shooting from the floor, but its defensive performance took over until its offense kicked into gear.
Sophomore guard Caleb Love and sophomore forward Dawson Garcia paced the way with 22 points each for the Heels.
Here’s what we learned from Carolina’s win:
Give a little, get a little
Elon entered the game ranked 19th nationally from averaging 10.6 made 3-pointers per game. Needless to say the Heels emphasized limiting those opportunities.
With their concern on defending the arc, it resulted in making Carolina vulnerable to dribble penetration. The Phoenix took advantage of UNC closing out on the line hard and led UNC in points in the paint at halftime, 18-12. That helped them keep the game close for most of the first half.
While allowing more drives, Carolina did as it set out to do in defending the 3-point line. Elon made just three of its first attempts and finished 8-for-29 for the game.
Kerwin Walton’s slumping
UNC sophomore guard Kerwin Walton started the season making 10 of his first 18 attempts from 3-point range. Since making a 3 with a minute left in the first half of UNC’s loss to Purdue, he missed his last 11 including his only attempt Saturday against Elon.
But it’s not that Walton, who led the team in 3s last season in both makes (58) and percentage (42.0), has missed shots. It appeared as if he lost the confidence to take them. He had four attempts against Tennessee, one against UNC Asheville, two against Michigan and did not take any shots in just eight minutes against Georgia Tech.
Even with Walton slumping, Carolina has ranked third nationally as a team shooting 43.2 percent from behind the arc.
Fast breaking
Carolina hasn’t always played as fast as coach Hubert Davis would like them to this season. But it could be turning the corner after having its best game of the season in transition against Elon.
UNC scored 13 fast break points in the first 12 minutes of play — and they weren’t all due to live ball turnovers. The Heels finished with 19 fast break points to set a new season-high.
Combined with the 15 fast break points against Georgia Tech, which tied their previous best in the opener against Loyola-Maryland, it’s their best two-game total this season.
