North Carolina won its third and second in a row on the road to earn its fifth conference victory this season. The Tar Heels jumped out to an early lead over the Yellow Jackets and although they didn’t overtake them, they kept that lead steady for most of the game as they led by 15 at halftime, and increased it to around 20 before winning by 16.
So what can we learn from North Carolina’s recent win over Georgia Tech?
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Ball movement was key
The Tar Heels finished with their most assists in an ACC game since having 21 in a loss to SMU in their second game of the conference season. North Carolina was led by Caleb Wilson who had five assists as the freshman seemed to continue to improve moving from double teams to wide open shooters and alley-ooping big men. Derek Dixon and Kyan Evans also combined to give the Tar Heels six more assists off just one turnover. The ball moved seamlessly across the court at times as players passed their own shots to get better shots for their teammates. Good ball movement will continue to keep defenses honest and on their toes, paving the way for more dunks from Caleb Wilson.
Henri Veesaar played like a seven-footer
Henri Veesaar doesn’t always play like a big man. Sometimes he gets pushed around and can get into trouble early on. However, today he played big. The seven-foot transfer from Arizona finished with 20 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for his tenth double-double of the season. He also had a conference-high four blocks (his career-high is 5, which he set earlier this year against NCCU). When Veesaar plays big, it opens up everything else for the Tar Heels as teams can’t double team Caleb Wilson who finished with a team-high 22 points.
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Luka finds his place
Luka Bogavac continued to be a steady presence off the bench, finishing the game with a conference-high 16 points, scoring three three-pointers and dishing out three assists. Over his last five games, the junior international has averaged nearly 12 points per game while making 37.5 percent of his three-pointers. Bogavac seems to have finally adjusted to playing in the United States and is getting used to being a constant threat off the bench.
