UNC Season Opener

UNC opened its 2010-2011 season with an 80-66 victory over Lipscomb.  The Heels struggled with Lipscomb for most of the game, before finally putting them away late in the 2nd half.  A few things jumped out at me from this game...

1. All 3 freshman have to start
Reggie Bullock and Harrison Barnes are probably the best two players on this team already.  Reggie Bullock's game reminds me of Rashad McCants plus a few extra inches and much less drama.  At 6'7" he will be a matchup nightmare for everyone at the 2 guard position, and he played a near flawless game in his 15 minutes on the court.  If he's not in the starting lineup from now on it's inexcusable.  Dexter Strickland playing over him is a total joke.  Harrison Barnes looked like he was rushing it a little bit in his first collegiate game, but he showed the flashes of brilliance that made him a preseason All-American selection (not sure he's quite at that level yet).  Kendall Marshall had a rough start with 2 turnovers almost immediately, but from that point on he played much better than Larry Drew II.  He just seemed much more under control and his passes were much easier to handle.

2.  John Henson has the longest arms on the planet
Henson was great, as he finished the game with 10 points, 17 rebounds, and 7 blocks.  He seemed to snatch down every rebound in the game, and he blocked or altered most shots inside the lane, forcing Lipscomb to jack up shots from the outside all game long.  He could very well lead the ACC in rebounding this season.

3. Tyler Zeller has to get stronger with the ball
Sure Zeller had 15 points and 7 rebounds, but I'm not sure he caught the ball cleanly once the whole game.  He seemed to bobble the ball constantly, but luckily for him he had a huge height advantage and drew a bunch of fouls.  He needs to get much stronger to be able to handle post players in the ACC.

The Rest
Leslie McDonald and Justin Knox both gave nice contributions off the bench.  Knox was a huge pickup for the Heels at the last second, because without him they are very thin up front.  I was very happy with his play, and I believe he will be a serviceable sub for the other towers inside.  Justin Watts probably shouldn't see much action this year, and Larry Drew II and Dexter Strickland should see their minutes greatly reduced in favor of Marshall and Bullock.  The sooner Roy makes these changes, the faster UNC can work on catching up to Duke.