Tar Heels top Mississippi Valley State 101-75

Despite No.1 North Carolina’s early struggles with 3-pointers on Sunday, coach Roy Williams insisted that his team continue shooting.

The Tar Heels took that advice and still finished with nearly three-quarters of their 3-pointers missing the mark.

But in what turned out to be a 101-75 win against Mississippi Valley State, that ultimately didn’t matter.

On a day when UNC’s frontcourt provided more than half of the team’s points, the Tar Heels had the luxury of taking some risks from beyond the arc.

“As far as knocking down shots, it wasn’t as if they were bad shots,” freshmen guard P.J. Hairston said. “The shots we usually make just weren’t falling.

“We had to find another way to win, and that’s what we did.”

The Tar Heels found their solution by going back to their fundamental strength — inside play.

And their three-headed monster in the frontcourt certainly came to play on Sunday.

Senior forward Tyler Zeller and junior forward John Henson each secured a double double, while sophomore Harrison Barnes added 18 points to bring the group’s total point contribution to 52.

But among the trio, only Zeller shot more than 50 percent from the field. And though Henson continued to display improved range with his jump shot, he finished seven of 14.

“I think that’s one of the things (Henson) worked on in the offseason — shooting the ball,” Williams said.

“I still like my big guys to shoot between 55 to 60 percent … But I have zero problems with John’s shooting.”

Together, Henson and Zeller also combined for 24 of the team’s 62 rebounds — a point of emphasis for the Tar Heels since they were outrebounded 49 to 34 against Michigan State at the Carrier Classic.

“Me and Z talked about (rebounding), and I think he had 10 today, and I had 14,” Henson said. “So you know, we just got to keep picking it up. We’re going to be playing against tougher guys down low with Wisconsin next week and Kentucky.”

But while MVSU (0-3) wasn’t a marquee opponent, the Delta Devils didn’t just lay down for the Tar Heels.

On the contrary, MVSU kept pressuring UNC from behind the arc. The team attempted 27 3-pointers — eight more than UNC’s 19.

And while they never took a lead in the game, the Delta Devils kept the margin under 10 until the Tar Heels starting pulling away with five minutes left in the first half.

“We’ve got to do a better job getting to the shooter,” Williams said of his defense. “I don’t mind teams that shoot a lot of threes, but I don’t like when they make them because they’re open.”

But with the season still young, Williams also didn’t want to keep his starting squad out on the court for an extended period of time.

None of the team’s five starters played more than 25 minutes, keeping them fresh for the tougher slate of games that are up ahead.

It also allowed reserves like Hairston and sophomore guard Reggie Bullock to get some touches on the court.

And while the frontcourt carried most of the offensive load, Hairston and Bullock carried the team’s 3-point game. Their five combined 3-pointers were the only ones UNC made.

“Coach always tells us to keep shooting,” Hairston said. “If it’s a good shot, shoot. If it’s not a good shot, give it to the post, and they’ll kick it back out to your for a good shot. And we just go along with that.”

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