Reactions to Kentucky basketball’s impressive win over North Carolina
Reactions to Kentucky’s 98-69 drubbing of North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic:
C.L. Brown of the Raleigh News and Observer: “Maybe North Carolina should have stayed at home after all. Although the Tar Heels (8-3) knew their opponent was going to be Kentucky instead of UCLA before leaving Chapel Hill on Thursday, they played like they still had jet lag in their 98-69 loss to the Wildcats.”
Jon Hale of the Courier-Journal: “When North Carolina tried to duplicate the Notre Dame strategy in the first half, Sahvir Wheeler was still able to consistently use his speed to get to the rim and score easy baskets in transition. He drained a couple of mid-range jumpers to force the Tar Heels to play him more tightly in the second half.”
Kyle Tucker of The Athletic: “Sahvir Wheeler must’ve read the tweets. John Calipari must not have. As Kentucky prepared to board the team bus at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night after the Wildcats were done demolishing North Carolina 98-69, Calipari shook his head demonstratively at the question: Had you given any thought to a growing consensus that someone other than Wheeler needs to play point guard? It was so silly, he must have thought. Calipari jabbed the asker with an elbow. Nope. Uh-uh. No way. Not for a second. Are you out of your mind?”
My column for the Herald-Leader: “Now, we’re going to expect the Cats to keep playing that way. They’re like the kid in class who makes so-so grades then pops up and aces a big test. We’ve now seen what Big Blue can do. As poorly as North Carolina performed — did we mention the Heels were 1-for-13 from three-point range — Kentucky was responsible for much of the Tar Heels’ troubles. Fact is, if Saturday had been your typical Las Vegas prize fight, it would have been stopped midway through the second half.”
Gary Parrish of CBS Sports: “No. 21 Kentucky outworked and outplayed North Carolina basically from start to finish while becoming the latest team to take advantage of the Tar Heels’ undeniable weaknesses -- at least one of which used to be a strength annually. In 18 years under Williams, North Carolina finished in the top 25 in offensive-rebounding percentage 16 times, in the top 10 eight times, and in the top five five times.”
David Cobb of CBS Sports: “No. 21 Kentucky made a bold statement about its national relevance with a 98-69 win over North Carolina on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic as the Wildcats (8-2) notched their first win over a power conference opponent this season in emphatic fashion. UK shot 66.7% from the floor in the second half and 54.2% for the game as point guard Sahvir Wheeler poured in a game-high 26 points and dished out eight assists.”
Greg Barnes of Inside Carolina: “The Tar Heels (8-3, 1-0 ACC) were down double-digit points before the game’s second media timeout and trailed by as many as 18 points before halftime in a lopsided affair that prompted flashbacks to their 89-72 loss to Tennessee last month in Connecticut. Oscar Tshiebwe’s dunk with 8:56 to play pushed Kentucky’s lead to 78-48. The 29-point loss was UNC’s worst margin of defeat since losing to Florida State, 90-57, on Jan. 14, 2012.”
Tyler Thompson of KSR: “One of the big fears this season is how Kentucky will perform when Oscar Tshiebwe is on the bench. Oscar tried to do it all against Notre Dame but couldn’t compensate for his teammates getting beat to balls and missing shots. When Oscar headed to the bench with two fouls at the 12:37 mark, admit it, you gulped. Even with some odd lineups — Calipari is still tinkering — Kentucky survived. When Oscar returned in the second half, he asserted himself in the post, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds en route to his eighth double-double of the season.”
Adam Smith of the Gaston Gazette: “Energy and effort, will and want to, those core qualities are part of Davis’s coaching mantra. And North Carolina turned up bankrupt in those areas on this afternoon in Las Vegas.”
Kevin Flaherty of 247Sports: “The last time Kentucky hit the basketball court, the Wildcats disappointed in a four-point loss to a slumping Notre Dame team. So it stands to reason that Wildcats coach John Calipari was pleased with Kentucky’s response, a 98-69 mauling of North Carolina at the CBS Sports Classic.”
Jeff Drummond of Cats Illustrated: “The Cats led 40-29 at halftime but took control of the game with a 13-6 spurt coming out of the break. With the help of a pair of Grady 3s, they stretched the lead to 25 by the midpoint of the period and led by as much as 35 before the dust settled.”
