There were some surprises at the end of the first half in UNC’s lone exhibition game against Winston-Salem State on Friday. The Tar Heels were up by 21 at halftime and ended up routing the Rams, 96-61, but the night didn’t go as smoothly as the score may indicate.
Guard Brandon Robinson left the game in the first 10 minutes and didn’t return after hitting the deck following a block. But while UNC was able to make do without its lone senior starter, the team’s new faces struggled initially.
At halftime, five-star first-years Cole Anthony and Armando Bacot had combined for 10 points on just 4-12 shooting. Neither of the graduate transfers, Christian Keeling or Justin Pierce, were able to hit a shot from the floor, totaling one point combined.
Garrison Brooks wanted to settle his teammates’ obvious first-game jitters, but didn’t know what to say.
“I can say, ‘Calm down, it’s just a game,’” said the junior forward, who finished with a team-high 18 points and 11 rebounds. “But then again, they know it’s not just a game. They know it counts for something more.”
Though the glorified scrimmage won’t factor into the Tar Heels’ record or season stats, that “something more” Brooks referred to was likely the expectations that came with each new addition’s arrival. For Anthony, those expectations are as lofty as they are for almost any player in the country.
The 6-foot-3 guard — the fourth-ranked player in the class of 2019, according to 247Sports — made a handful of ill-advised plays in the first half. At times, he pulled up for contested 3-pointers; other times, he drove into traffic and turned the ball over.
“His shot wasn’t really falling tonight, but we all believe in Cole Anthony,” junior guard Andrew Platek said. “We all want him to be aggressive, be that dog that we know he is.”
Anthony had four of the Tar Heels’ 23 total turnovers but found more of a rhythm after halftime, finishing the game with 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
