Gameday Live Blog/Open Thread: Wofford at Carolina

Live analysis, observations, photos and video from Carmichael Arena.

Good afternoon from *beautiful* Carmichael Arena, where North Carolina will meet Wofford in what will be the first regular-season men's hoops game in the building since 1986.

Today's game will air on ACC Network and can also be streamed here, via Watch ESPN.

Among the five things I pointed out for today's game was perhaps a little less Cole Anthony in the offense.

Unfortunately for Carolina, there won't be any Cole Anthony, as it was announced on Sunday afternoon that he and Leaky Black are out indefinitely with injuries while Sterling Manley recently underwent knee surgery, and he will not play this season.

That puts a slight damper on what will be a wonderful afternoon in Carmichael, site of so many moments in Tar Heel basketball history. It's too bad this is unlikely to become an annual tradition.

Check out Twitter for live updates, with deeper analysis and observation posted here throughout the game, and feel free to drop a comment below.

Looking for more pregame reading? Here's how I graded the perimeter players and post players during exam week, plus comments from Roy Williams' Friday press conference. 

Join the conversation — it's easy — go to the top of the site, click the follow button in the right-hand corner, then log in with either Facebook or Google to discuss the game below.

PREGAME

Doesn't appear Armando Bacot is hindered by the ankle he injured vs. Ohio State.

STARTERS: KJ Smith gets the start at PG for UNC. He'll be alongside Brandon Robinson, Christian Keeling, Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks.

First Half

14:20 — It's incredibly loud in here. Just an awesome atmosphere for college hoops in what would have been a sleepy afternoon in the Smith Center.

As for the game, UNC is making a better effort to get the ball inside on every possession. Wofford just doesn't have the size down low to compete with Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks. They should touch the ball every time down the floor today.

11:27 — Five assists on six buckets for UNC today.

Moving the ball and sharing it was a major point of emphasis for Roy Williams after Virginia. Looks like the message was received.

Jeremiah Francis plays the game like a true point guard. Great vision out there, and he's done an excellent job of finding angles in traffic. 

8:13 — Watching the ball movement today, I think there's certainly a reasonable discussion to be had about playing Cole Anthony some at the two when he returns.

4:12 — Storm Murphy off to a 5/6 start from 3-point range. Terriers are 7/18 from beyond the arc and 3/10 inside it. UNC leads 30-28.

HALF: UNC 36, Wofford 32

- Perimeter defense left a bit to be desired for the Heels, but overall, a solid half with two starters out.

- With nine assists on 12 buckets, Carolina already has more assists than it did last Sunday at Virginia. Overall, the offense is running more smoothly without Cole Anthony in the lineup as the Tar Heels have gotten better looks in every phase of the offense. Not a great shooting day by any means, but it's a step in the right direction.

- Armando Bacot has been phenomenal, playing with great effort. He's missed a few shots he should normally make, but his level of activity more than makes up for a few misses. He's also blocked two shots and altered several more.

- K.J. Smith has been excellent. With only one turnover, he's made good decisions while showing a little more of an offensive spark than we've ever seen from him. His dad started the last game in here in 1986, and he started today -- an awesome story.

- Andrew Platek and Christian Keeling both knocked down wide-open looks from the perimeter. Both are better shooters than they've shown this season, and could have something to build on.

- It's shocking that Justin Pierce hasn't attempted a shot and has just one rebound in seven minutes. It appears to be a confidence issue for him right now.

- Perimeter defenders have inexplicably lost Storm Murphy several times. That just can't happen.

- This is how the Carolina offense should look, with plentiful post touches and clean transition looks. The Heels have dominated the boards and are making it a priority to get the ball inside, letting the offense feed off Bacot and Brooks. 

Second Half

12:14 — The perimeter defensive issues continue. Carolina is switching everything, but defenders are helping too much on penetration. Wofford shoots the ball too well to leave guys wide open beyond the arc.

10:51 — Roy Williams is forced to call a timeout. Just silly mistakes and poor focus from perimeter defenders.

Wofford has made nine of its 27 three-point attempts

Watch Robinson lose Hoover on this long defensive possession pic.twitter.com/GP5igoeR90

— chris (@dadgumboxscores) December 15, 2019

7:33 — UNC has put together a quick 7-0 run on the strength of rebounding. Heels outrebounding the Terriers 5-0 during the stretch. It's not hard to see that things go much better for this team when it hustles.

3:40 — Eight straight points for Garrison Brooks, following five from Brandon Robinson. It's up to Brooks to finish this thing off for the Tar Heels. Wofford leads 60-55.

FINAL: Wofford 68, UNC 64