No. 8 North Carolina beat the Northern Iowa 85-42 Wednesday night. Kennedy Meeks led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds.
What happened?
North Carolina started slow, failing to pull away from the Panthers. The game was tied at 9-9 with 16:05 left in the first half. From there, North Carolina held the lead for the rest of the night, but Northern Iowa hung close behind. With 4:27 left in the first half, UNC was up by only one, at 23-22.
The Tar Heels went on a little run at the end of first half, taking a 33-26 lead into the locker room. Kennedy Meeks led the team with eight points and UNC had an 18-13 advantage on the boards. However, North Carolina struggled from the outside, shooting just 1-8 from beyond the arc.
A fast start to the second half closed the door on a Panther upset. The Tar Heels’ talent showed, especially inside.
An Isaiah Hicks dunk with 6:09 left in the second half — a true posterizer all over an unprepared Panther defender — sent the crowd at the Smith Center to its feet and capped off the Tar Heel win.
Who stood out?
After some choice words from Coach Roy Williams at halftime, Kennedy Meeks came out and took control of the court. Meeks put up 10 points in the second half, bringing his total to 18 on the night. Known for his physicality on offense, Meeks brought that same aggression to the defensive side of the ball, collecting four defensive rebounds. He set the tone for the Tar Heels to hold the Panthers to just 16 points total in the second half and earned the praise from his teammates and Williams.
