Things started off slow for the North Carolina Tar Heels’ basketball program on Sunday. But in the end, they rolled past Johnson C. Smith 127-63 in an exhibition game in the Dean Dome.
North Carolina used a 34-11 run to end the first half and take a 59-34 halftime lead. They finally settled in and got into a groove in this game, taking care of business.
The Tar Heels had seven players in double-digit points in this game, led by freshman Ian Jackson who had 21. Transfer Ven-Allen Lubin finished with 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, earning a double-double.
Seth Trimble and RJ Davis both had 15 points while Elliot Cadeau and Jalen Washington had 12 points each.
Despite that slow start, UNC was able to find their groove and put on a show for the home crowd. There were a few big dunks fresh off of big defensive plays on the other end of the court.
IAN JACKSON WINDMILL pic.twitter.com/fkaOcoj26M
— Tar Heel Tapes (@TarHeelTapes) October 27, 2024
Now, it’s only an exhibition game but this was an encouraging sign for Hubert Davis’ team about a week from the regular season tipping off.
His team did have the slow start but eventually turned it around to pull ahead and never look back. It will be interesting to see what Davis does moving forward with these rotations as he went with a starting lineup of Davis, Cadeau, Trimble, Cade Tyson, and Jalen Washington.
The Tar Heels will open the season on Monday, November 4th against Elon in the Dean Dome.
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