No. 5 UNC’s offense rolling with 6 double-figure s

“I thought Ziare O’Neil came in with her confidence”, head coach MaChelle Joseph said.

North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks (4) dunks over North Carolina State’s…

North Carolina is now 16-2 and right in the thick of the conversation for the nation’s best teams because the Tar Heels are fully healthy again and getting serious contributions for one of their best players, Kennedy Meeks.

It was Meeks’ second game back after missing seven games due to a knee injury, but he came through with an 8-for-10 shooting performance after halftime and two second-half blocks while repeatedly diving on the floor for loose balls. It’s the worst start since the Wolfpack lost their first eight games in the 1997-98 season. The fact he has raised it with the team all week long and “multiple times” according to Paige is telling.

“First of all we’re disappointed, but at the same time I’m really proud. And I think I did a pretty good job with doing that”. Abdul-Malik Abu (11.6 points, 8.3 rebounds) is 6-8, 245 and not intimidated by their frontcourt.

Now that’s how you get your team some momentum, especially against one of your in-state rivals. Meeks attacked N.C. State’s post and racked up fouls on Anya and Abu – both fouled out, and their limitations opened up State’s defense just enough for UNC to get on track late.

The Tar Heels shot a sizzling 57.1 percent from the field in the second half to erase its 39-33 deficit at intermission. The Wolfpack had 18 turnovers…. These two have hit the over in three of their last four encounters. The start is the best in league play for UNC since going 11-0 in the 2000-01 season, three years before Williams took over. UNC shot 37% for the game, was 5-9 at the line, got outrebounded 28-27 and scored 0.77 points per possession. Usually a running team themselves, Mark Gottfried tried to keep the game from turning into a track meet since the Tar Heels had the deeper bench.

Anthony “Cat” Barber, the ACC’s leading scorer at 22.5 points per game, had a rough outing.

Even Meeks struggled with just five points in the first half as UNC (16-2, 5-0) logged season-lows in first-half points and field-goal percentage.

It was the kind of determined, grit-your-teeth play that coach Roy Williams has regularly pushed the 6-foot-10 Meeks to provide inside, and UNC certainly needed it on a day when top scorers Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige combined for nine points on 4-for-15 shooting. He’ll get his double figures and rack up a handful of assists. That balanced showed Saturday. North Carolina plays at home against Wake Forest on Wednesday night, while N.C. State goes to Pittsburgh on the same night.