The No. 1 North Carolina men's basketball kicked off the 2022-23 season on Friday with a 101-40 exhibition win over Johnson C. Smith.
What happened?
Sophomore guard D’Marco Dunn put the first point on the board for the Tar Heels with a successful free throw. UNC had the first three points, but a 3-pointer by JCSU tied things up. From there, North Carolina went on a scoring rampage, putting up the next 15 points for an 18-3 lead.
The Golden Bulls gained momentum, closing the gap to nine and maintaining tough defense, but senior big man Armando Bacot’s rebound success and a four 3-pointers by junior guard Caleb Love in the first half resulted in a 53-29 UNC lead at halftime.
Although JCSU had the first points of the second half, the Tar Heels quickly went on a nine-point streak. A 93-36 lead showed their offensive performance, but the team also struggled with turnovers, posting 10 by the time of their 57-point lead.
Graduate wing Leaky Black showed out in his final exhibition game at North Carolina, with an alley-oop on a long-pass by Love. UNC continued to dominate offensively, making their nine-point streak seem insignificant when they went on a 23-point streak.
Walk-on seniors Jackson Watkins and Duwe Farris came in as the clock ticked down and led the team to 100 points and subsequently, free Bojangles biscuits.
Who stood out?
First-years Seth Trimble and Tyler Nickel and redshirt first-year Will Shaver made their Tar Heel debuts in the matchup, as did highly-anticipated transfer Pete Nance, who scored 19 points in the win.
