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Chapel Hill, NC- In the decades-long history of the programs on Tobacco Road, it's surprising to note that Campbell and North Carolina have never matched up in any capacity, despite the short, roughly 50-mile distance separating the schools. Campbell Head Coach Kevin McGeehan called the matchup "exciting" and was "surprised we've never played them". The first meeting between the Fighting Camels and Tar Heels gave way to some memorable performances on both sides this past Sunday.
Entering the game, there were two notable players sidelined by injury. For Campbell, big man Terren Frank was ruled out with a finger injury requiring surgery; for North Carolina, Seth Trimble did not play due to an upper-body injury. From tip, it was clear that both teams made major adjustments to play around their respective absentees.
In the first half, Campbell was off to a hot start from deep, led by Colby Duggan connecting on his first 3 attempts from beyond the arc. The Camels would finish the half 4-16 from three-point range. North Carolina was not their usual self offensively in the first half. They shot 4-17 from beyond the arc and could not get into much of a flow offensively. Similar to Duggan, the only real bright spot from deep in the first half was RJ Davis, who passed Assistant Coach Marcus Paige for the most three-pointers made in program history (300).
In the second half, North Carolina made an effort to create rim pressure. 3 of their first 5 baskets in the second half came on shots at the rim. Although they had 22 points in the paint in the first and 26 in the second half, the emphasis on attacking the basketball consistently opened up passing lanes and gave shooters space to knock them down at a better rate. The Tar Heels finished off the Camels 97-81.
Unlike many non-power conference teams who walk into the Smith Center and eventually flame out and roll over to close the game, Campbell stayed on their feet. They scored 52 points in the second half on 1.529 points per possession. Colby Duggan played a huge part in that effort, as he continued his efficient scoring performance and poured in 19 points, giving him a game and career-high 32 points. Not only was that Colby's best performance, but it was one of the best performances in program history in this caliber of a contest.
After the game, I asked Colby about how his performance helped the team, specifically in the second half:
"I was able to propel the team a little bit...when you get it going early, it makes everything easier, you put more faith in each other and you play better."
In the final game of non-conference play, teams tend to learn a lot about themselves. Sometimes with these high-major versus low-major buy games, an often lopsided result can give way to a false sense of hope. For Campbell Head Coach Kevin McGeehan, it seemed quite the opposite:
"I was proud of my team and how hard they competed...I've seen those 20-point games go to 38 and we found a way to keep playing. We learned a lot about ourselves. Our last time out we weren't that good and I thought we played like a team that was ready to be good... I said to the team that we are 0-0 now..."
McGeehan expanded on his thoughts about the team's struggles in the non-conference and how this game was a boost for the Camels:
"Our biggest struggle has been consistency. When I say consistency, part of that is responding to adversity and being able to respond to adversity in-game and reset and move on to the next play... I thought today was a good step in that direction because this is an environment where it can get away."
Coach McGeehan was also very complimentary of North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau, who finished with a 12-point and career-high 12-assist double-double performance: "There's not many ball screen read passers like Cadeau. He's one of the best I've seen and in the second half, he really took advantage of us...he did a great job finding those guys to finish at the rim."
North Carolina Head Coach Hubert Davis postgame emphasized what his message has been all season on what he thinks can make this Tar Heel team great: "Defense and rebounding." Coach Davis added taking care of the basketball to that list of attributes this team needs to excel at to be successful. When asked what was necessary to get to a point where there are more consistent touches in the post, Coach Davis was candid and took ownership of the lack of post touches and penetration:
"...I'm not going to put it on them. I've got to do a better job of calling post-plays specifically to get post catches and looks down low...I've got to do a better job at putting them in situations consistently from the start so we can establish the post."
While the post touches are a consistent point of emphasis, the quality of play in the backcourt this season is nothing short of spectacular. With no Seth Trimble in this game, freshman Ian Jackson stepped into the starting lineup and exploded for a team-high 26 points. Only time will tell how quickly the frontcourt comes along, but conference play is here, and North Carolina is positioned to be a top-three team in the ACC.
Conference play officially begins with the New Year. The Tar Heels travel to the Yum Center to take on Louisville on Wednesday, January 1st, 2025 at 6 p.m. on the ACC Network. The Fighting Camels open CAA play at home versus Drexel on Thursday, January 2nd, 2025 at 7 p.m. on FloCollege. Follow along on X (@TrevorEverette) for live game updates, and for more of my work on House of College Hoops and House Enterprise, head here.
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