Kasey Hill paced the Gators with 20 points and Michael Frazier II added 17 points and 9 rebounds for Florida (3-3, 0-0 SEC). But, it was Florida's inability to match the energy and resourcefulness of the Heels from the tip that would ultimately cost the Gators in the long run. UNC (5-1, 0-0 ACC) controlled the game from the get-go, feeling comfortable with a high-possession contest as both teams looked to push the ball whenever possible. Freshman Justin Jackson made a statement from the tip that he was going to continue to show offensive aggression and force the Gators defense to make a stop. By the first official timeout, Jackson had 5 of the 7 Heels points while Florida was still searching for an answer. And, the Gators continued to search for holes in the Carolina defense. But, it was Carolina who clamped down and forced a number of bad shots and turnovers that led to points on the other end. J.P. Tokoto drilled a couple of threes in transition that opened up the game for the Heels. It wasn't until the 13:14 mark of the 1st half that Florida scored, and, by that time, the Gators were already down 12-2.
The offensive flow to this game was at a frenetic pace for both teams with plenty of possessions in the first half but it was the Heels that dominated the paint from the start. Meeks and Brice Johnson once again tag-teamed the work downlow to help Carolina secure the advantage in the contest. With 7:57 to go in the 1st half, Carolina already had 14 points in the paint and led 22-8. The Gators tried and tried from the outside in the first half but, it wasn't pretty (at the 3:36 mark of the half, Florida was shooting 7-27 and 1-15 from 3-point land).
On the other hand, Carolina was spreading the offense up and down the lineup as the UNC depth began to wear on the listless Gators. Up 39-23 at the half, the Heels had 5 players with six or more points, and it seemed like Florida would just roll over for the Heels.
However, the 2nd half brought new life for the Gators as it outscored the Heels 5-0 in the first minute and a half of the 2nd stanza, quickly getting right back into the game. But, the Heels would respond defensively maintaining a double-digit lead into the under-12 minute official timeout. And, that is when Carolina would push the lead back to 56-41 off a thunderous Isaiah Hicks jam-burger.
Florida would find themselves in foul trouble as both Frazier II and Dorian Finney-Smith would pick up 4 fouls at the 8:00 minute mark of the 2nd half Meeks was able to feed off the absence of two star Gators players and connect on two shots that upped the lead to 58-43.
That is when the tide began to shift a little and when the Tar Heels were forced to play much smarter on the defensive end. Before the Heels could recover, Florida had closed the gap to 11 at the 4:39 mark of the 2nd half and then down to a 67-60 margin with two minutes to go. And, would you know it, Carolina's free throw shooting would ice the game for the Heels. Paige stepped up to the line in the final minutes multiple times and calmly splashed a few from the charity stripe (Paige was 9-10 from the FT line) to extend the Tar Heels lead. The Heels were much better from the line, just like its game versus UCLA, as the Heels managed to make 74.2% of its free throws.
Carolina outrebounded the Gators 40-38, out-assisted the Gators 15-10, and shot much better from the field compared to the Gators (45.1% to 32.8%). All of that equaled a very impressive win for the Heels as Carolina finished up strong in the Bahamas with a 2-1 overall record and two huge wins versus Top-25 opponents after a disappointing loss to Butler in the quarterfinal round.
The Heels have to feel good about themselves with two emphatic victories to finish up this tournament. Carolina will board a plane for Chapel Hill on Saturday morning.and head back to NC to get ready for the collision with Iowa in the ACC/Big-Ten Challenge next Wednesday (I will be in attendance, thanks to Rams Club Faithful Jerry Worsley, for the "Turn it Green" game).
The Battle 4 Atlantis tournament was won by #2 Wisconsin beating Oklahoma Friday afternoon and it held up as being the most talent-filled tournament of all the rest in the new, fresh NCAA season. Carolina learned a whole lot about itself in the Bahamas and this tourney will obviously provide insight the Heels need to grow into a top-contender for the National Championship.
Next Game: #5 North Carolina (5-1, 0-0 ACC) vs Iowa Hawkeyes (4-2, 0-0 Big Ten)
Date & Time: Wednesday, December 3, 2014 @ 7:30pm EST
Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio: ESPN or ESPN3 / Tar Heel Sports Network
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