Down a starter, UNC shines

Sure, a 19-point victory against rival N.C. State is nice for No. 7 North Carolina, especially when the Wolfpack had lost only one game in its last 10 contests.

But for the Tar Heels, seeing that they can fill the void left by Dexter Strickland’s ACL tear was likely sweet enough.

“There was more emphasis (this week) on coming together as a team,” forward Desmond Hubert said. “Everyone has to step up now, because we have to fill a role that’s missing now.”

That missing role wasn’t very noticeable in UNC’s 74-55 win against the Wolfpack, except for his bright-purple-striped sweater.

And on the court?

“Reggie (Bullock) can stretch the defense,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “They go out and guard him a little bit farther out than they did Dexter, but Dexter was so valuable to us defensively and so valuable to us with that speed on the break.”

Bullock may not have had the fast break points Strickland usually accumulated, but the guard did finish 4 of 9 from the field with three 3-pointers for 11 points. He also grabbed five rebounds and tallied three assists. Maybe more important, Bullock was anything but a defensive liability for the Tar Heels.

Bullock held N.C. State’s leading scorer, Scott Wood, to a scoreless first half and 4-of-12 shooting.

Williams said Bullock shadowed Wood well on screens, and when the wing player did shoot, he was often forced to catch, turn and take an off-balance shot.

“I know it meant a lot to (Bullock),” UNC forward Harrison Barnes said. “He’s been working really hard just coming off the bench and contributing, so finally for him to be able to come out and start today, the fans showed him a lot of love, and he was able to go out there and produce.”

Though Bullock took the majority of Strickland’s minutes, finishing with 33, he wasn’t the only Tar Heel to see more time.

He also wasn’t the only one to make that time productive.

Stilman White played a larger role on the court, spelling Kendall Marshall when the point guard needed a break.

Williams used White around timeouts to maximize Marshall’s rest, but White held his own on the court. The freshman made a 3-pointer and hit a cutting Tyler Zeller for an assist in the first half.

P.J. Hairston finished with six points and four rebounds on a cold shooting night from long range. Hubert also added valuable minutes to the team, grabbing five rebounds in 13 minutes.

UNC was different without Strickland, but it was a subtle one.

“It’s difficult, because with a lot of things we could just say, ‘Dexter, go guard so-and-so, and then we’ll just, all right,’” Barnes said. “That was an afterthought.”

It won’t be an afterthought without Strickland. But the way UNC’s former role players filled Strickland’s minutes was anything but discouraging.

“Confidence-wise for a basketball player, court time is the biggest thing,” White said. “The more you get out there, the more comfortable you get.”

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