Five things you need to know from Kentucky’s 98-69 beatdown of North Carolina
Five things you need to know from the No. 21 Kentucky Wildcats’ 98-69 beatdown of the North Carolina Tar Heels in the CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas:
1. Sahvir Wheeler’s “How do you like me now?” masterpiece. A week after the diminutive Kentucky point guard turned in a forgettable performance in UK’s unexpected loss at Notre Dame, he bounced back with authority.
Wheeler sliced and diced North Carolina to pieces. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior scored 26 points, grabbed three rebounds, doled out eight assists and pilfered four steals while also making 12 of 15 shots.
It was a tour de force for the Georgia transfer, coming only a week after Wheeler missed all five of his shot attempts and had three points in UK’s 66-62 upset loss in South Bend.
We learned two things about Wheeler over the past week:
First, he is mentally tough, coming back from a horrid game with an unmitigated gem. That is an important quality in a point guard toiling in the Kentucky fish bowl.
Secondly, Wheeler is much more effective in an up-and-down game such as North Carolina prefers than in the half-court grinder that Notre Dame executed.
2. Backboard domination. North Carolina (8-3) entered the UK game with a plus-10.7 average rebounding margin. That made it eye-opening that the Tar Heels were obliterated on the glass by the Cats.
UK dominated the rebounding battle, 44-26. The Cats claimed 17 offensive boards, while limiting UNC to six. That led to a 15-6 Kentucky advantage in second-chance points.
One week after Oscar Tshiebwe’s first Wildcats game without double-digit boards (he had seven) at Notre Dame, the West Virginia transfer was back to his usual glass cleaning.
In spite of battling foul trouble, the 6-9, 255-pound Tshiebwe had 12 boards to lead the Cats, and produced his eighth points/rebounds double-double in 10 games with 16 points.
3. Wildcats snap ACC skid. Kentucky (now 8-2) entered the game having lost its last six meetings with Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
UK lost last season to Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Louisville, and had already lost this season to Duke and at Notre Dame.
Not just beating UNC, but blasting the Tar Heels — long a Kentucky basketball nemesis — to break free from the ACC hex had to be extra-gratifying for the Big Blue Nation.
UK’s 29-point margin of victory over Carolina was its largest in a game since an 83-44 UK victory over UNC on Jan. 9, 1950.
With the victory, Kentucky cut North Carolina’s all-time lead in the head-to-head series to 25-17.
At 7-4 vs. the Tar Heels, John Calipari has enjoyed atypical success for a UK coach vs. UNC.
4. Cats drop another new UNC head man. Kentucky’s victory against Hubert Davis in his first meeting with the Wildcats as North Carolina head coach was UK’s third straight against new Tar Heels coaches.
On Jan. 3, 2004, Tubby Smith and Kentucky beat Roy Williams and UNC 61-56 in Rupp Arena in Williams’ first game as Carolina head man against the Cats.
On Dec. 2, 2000, Smith and the Wildcats also beat Matt Doherty in his head coaching debut in the UK-UNC series, with the Cats upsetting No. 6 UNC 93-76 in “The Dean Dome” in Chapel Hill.
Dean Smith was the last North Carolina head man to beat Kentucky on his first try. Smith’s Tar Heels edged Adolph Rupp’s Cats 68-66 on Dec. 17, 1962, in Memorial Coliseum.
Bill Guthridge, North Carolina head man from 1997-2000, never faced Kentucky.
5. CBS Sports Classic standings. Since Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio State and UCLA commenced the annual doubleheader promoted by CBS in 2014-15, the standings for the event now look as follows:
North Carolina 5-3, Ohio State 4-3, Kentucky 4-4, UCLA 2-5.
UK has pinned all three of UNC’s CBS Sports Classic defeats on the Tar Heels.
Ohio State and UCLA did not play this season due to coronavirus protocols.
Kentucky reaps redemption — for player and team — in rout of North Carolina
Kentucky dismantled North Carolina. Here’s how the blowout ranks in the series history.
Box score from Kentucky basketball’s 98-69 win over North Carolina in Las Vegas
Kentucky’s TyTy Washington injured in first half of game against North Carolina
More Kentucky basketball recruiting links: Yohan Traore plans commitment ‘pretty soon’
First Scouting Report: Will Kentucky reassert its rivalry hold over Louisville?
