Three Takeaways from UNC's win over Winston-Salem State

Some good, some bad for the Tar Heels.

It wasn’t always pretty, but North Carolina eventually pulled away for a 96-61 victory over Winston-Salem State in an exhibition game on Friday night.

Garrison Brooks led the Tar Heels with 18 points and 11 rebounds while blue-chip freshman Cole Anthony finished with 11 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in his debut.

Full Box Score

With the season opener just five days away, here’s what Carolina can take away from the win over WSSU.

A Long Road…

The Tar Heels have a long way to go and a short time to get there with Notre Dame visiting for the season-opener on Wednesday.

For much of Friday night’s game, Carolina looked like a team with four newcomers and several other players stepping into roles much bigger than the ones they’ve played in the past.

“It was a little frustrating at times,” Coach Roy Williams said.

Specifically, the Tar Heels’ 23 turnovers and inability to keep the Rams from penetrating drew the ire of their coach.

The turnovers were so bad that Williams didn’t even elaborate on what led to them.

“Stupidity,” he said.

Cole Anthony, who had four, said Williams didn’t need to say much.

“I think everyone knows what we did wrong, we all, we’re going to self-assess and we’re going to go over film soon,” he said. “We had some mental lapses, I had a bunch of mental lapses. We’ll be better next game.”

On the topic of defense, Williams planned to spend more time studying the issues.

“Coach Smith used to say you shouldn’t get too mad until you look at the tape,” he said. “I’m already too mad, so I’m not going to say anything else until I look at the tape.”

WSSU guard Robert Colon was consistently able to get inside perimeter, getting looks from the paint and dishing to the wings.

The Rams made just 8 of 30 3-point attempts, but plenty were uncontested — something that would be a major issue on Wednesday night.

“We know Notre Dame is going to shoot a ton of threes and much more skilled — blessed is a better way to put it — blessed athletes than what Winston-Salem did, but I think we gained a great deal more from it if we would have if we had just been practicing,” Williams said.

Wings Doing Things

With Anthony, Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks seemingly set as starters, the wing spots hold the most intrigue for Carolina.

Brandon Robinson and Christian Keeling got the starts on Friday, and both performed well, as Keeling had 14 points while Robinson had eight in five minutes before leaving with an ankle injury — more on that later.

Given his capability of playing from the 1-3 positions, Leaky Black is going to be the X-factor on the perimeter.

“For us to be a really good basketball team, Leaky’s got to stay healthy and play and not make the silly mistakes he made today,” Williams said.

Black, who’s still limited by the ankle injury he suffered in January, had a solid performance with 9 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds in 19 minutes while also handling backup point guard duties.

Calling himself around “98, 99 percent,” Black will clearly have the ball in his hands plenty this season, and that’s something he’s fine with.

“I’m equally comfortable,” he said. “I’ve played point guard my whole life … I always played up, they used to guard me full-court back then, so that’s just kind of prepared me for this moment. On the wing, it’s equally as comfortable.”

Platek Plays a Plus

After averaging 5.7 minutes over his first two seasons at Carolina, it appears guard Andrew Platek is in for a much bigger role as a junior.

From the moment he entered the game early in the first half, Platek was active all over the floor and improved as a defender — something he credited former Tar Heel Kenny Williams for.

“He was the best,” Platek said. “I learned what I don’t like from him because he’s so good at reading passing lanes, being in the right spot all the time, taking charges. It’s just so easy for him and I literally learned that every day for hours on end.”

In 24 minutes on Friday, Platek finished with 8 points on 2/8 shooting with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

For him, it was just a matter of being ready for the opportunity.

“I just think with a little more time and a little more up-and-down, I can get into the groove a little bit more and just play with my teammates,” he said. “They trust me to make shots and hit shots and I did that tonight; I’m a good passer, good rebounder and all those things come out when you have just a little bit more time on the floor.”