The unlikely Tar Heels hero that “opened the game up” against SMU

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Jan 7, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Drake Powell (9) appreciates the assest in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

First half’s have been the downfall of UNC basketball this entire season. For the most part, they have barely held a lead in the first 20 minutes outside of games against Campbell, American, and Elon.

However, on Tuesday night, things looked different. The Tar Heels brought the same energy that ended the Notre Dame game into this SMU game.

The first half of this game was different. North Carolina jumped out to a lead and kept that lead. At the time the team’s lead reached double digits in the first half, it was 20-10 with just over eight minutes played.

Drake Powell had eight of the team’s 20 points, including 2-for-2 from deep and 3-for-4 from the floor. Powell would go on to score 17 points, hitting four threes, in a career-high night for the freshman guard.

Hubert Davis praised Powell’s performance against SMU and his explosiveness in the first half that propelled the team forward.

The shots that Drake took, or shots that I see him work on all the time, and the shots that he takes in practice, and I want him to have the confidence to be able to step up and knock him down. And he gave us a huge lift at the beginning of the game. SMU started off in a zone, and then it would morph into a man and so it took us a while to get to a rhythm in terms of what we’re trying to run on the offensive end. And Drake, his 3s in the first half really opened things up for us and gave us the confidence to be able to execute on the offensive end.

With Powell playing at this level and Ian Jackson stepping up, North Carolina now has legitimate go-to scorers on offense at any moment. They will pick back up on Saturday on the road against NC State.

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/unlikely-tar-heels-hero-opened-144415872.html

Author : Tar Heels Wire

Publish date : 2025-01-08 14:44:00

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