North Carolina won its first exhibition game of the season 108-67 over visiting Barton College. The Tar Heels were anchored by a game-high 25 points from Tyler Zeller, who dominated on defense and offense with his superior size.
The game was also the first for North Carolina’s three heralded freshmen. Harrison Barnes, the first true freshman to ever to be selected as a preseason All-American, struggled in his debut, going for 2-9 from the field with six turnovers. Freshman point guard Kendall Marshall shined however in his first action. The pass-first point guard tallied nine assists and only one turnover in 18 minutes of play.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the game was the efficient Tar Heel transition game which lead to some thunderous dunks by nearly every member of the team.
Justin Watts, who has stepped into Will Graves’s role, tallied 13 points on 6-7 shooting off the bench. Sophomore shooting guard Leslie McDonald also turned in a solid performance with 12 points and showed off a soft shooting touch which he honed in the offseason.
North Carolina is a week away from its regular season opener against Lipscomb.
