UNC played an unexpectedly close game against UNC Charlotte in their last exhibition outing, needing a late technical foul and overtime before putting away the 49ers. Somewhat improbably, a technical foul call late in the second half helped the Heels finally down Western Carolina in their first game of the season, 80-72.
Missing from the UNC Charlotte game was Matt Able; the sophomore guard sat out the contest with an injury. With the Tar Heels were once again locked in a tighter than expected game against a lower conference opponent, Able was a big reason why Carolina pulled out a win in Michael Malone's coaching debut. The N.C. State transfer started off his UNC career with a bang, scoring eight of Carolina's first 10 points by burying two three-pointers and a layup as the Heels raced out to a 10-0 lead. He was a bit quiet the rest of the half but still finished the period with 10 points on 4-6 shooting as the entire team scuffled their way to a nine-point lead.
Able was a key part of the late push that finally gained UNC some separation in the second half after WCU cut the lead to one. He made all four of his free throws after the break, including the two aforementioned technical foul free throws that helped the Heels finally pull away from the Catamounts. His layup with four minutes remaining pushed the UNC lead to double digits, ending the Western Carolina upset dream.
Able would finish the game shooting 6-10 from the floor (2-6 from distance) for a team high 18 points. He also had three rebounds and two assists, as well as committing two turnovers. His 60% from the floor was tied for the best shooting mark for any Tar Heel that took more than one shot. This performance was enough for us to give Able Player of the Game.
An Honorable Mention also goes out to Maximo Adams. The freshman had a solid college debut, hitting 3-5 shots for 10 points while also collecting four rebounds and a block. Adams was a shot of energy anytime he was on the floor and could push for more playing time sooner rather than later based on UNC's rebounding struggles. I particularly liked seeing him hype up players even when he was on the bench.
Able and the rest of the UNC team will need to improve rapidly to avoid another close game on Friday when Wofford visits the Dean Dome.
