UNC Basketball: Rainbow Warriors vs. Tar Heels game preview
UNC takes on Hawaii in Honolulu. What do the Warriors bring to the table?
Aloha!
That means Hello in Hawaii. It also means goodbye, but let’s stick with Hello.
The Heels begin their Hawaiian excursion Friday Night/Saturday Morning (depending on where you are at) in Honolulu. From there they will head to Maui for the Maui Invitational.
But before they can get there, what do we need to know about the team from the Islands?
Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
March 20, 2016; Spokane , WA, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors cheerleader performs during the second half in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Head Coach: Eran Ganot. Career Record: 31-8. Hawaii is his first official head coaching stop. He is in his second season with the Rainbow Warriors where he is 28-6. Ganot previously took over Head Coaching duties at St Mary’s during the 2013-14 season, while head coach Randy Bennett served a suspension.
Conference: Big West. Last season they finished first in the conference. They won their conference championship and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament with an upset over four seeded Cal. Hawaii is the second team UNC will have faced from the Big West Conference.
Best Former Player: Tom Henderson. The former Warrior guard played nine seasons in the NBA with three different teams. He also won an NBA championship with the Washington Bullets in 1978. He finished his career with 6,088 points, 1,494 rebounds, and 3,136 assists.
This Season: The Rainbow Warriors are currently 2-1 this season. After opening with a home loss to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville, Hawaii won their last two by a combined seven points. The Warriors are only averaging 69 points per game so far this season.
Key Players
Nov 15, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) shoots in front of Long Beach State 49ers forward Mason Riggins (5) during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. North Carolina won 93-67. Mandatory Credit: Evan Pike-USA TODAY Sports
Hawaii: G Noah Allen
The Senior guard leads the Warriors in points, assists, rebounds, steals, and minutes played. At 6’7 he will be a handful for either Berry or Britt, though he will probably be guarded more by Jackson at the three.
He is also dangerous as the Heels have struggled lately against 6’7 forward/guards. Against Tulane Cameron Reynolds, a 6’7 guard, went for 21 points on 5-6 shooting from outside the arc. Gabe Levin, a 6’7 forward with Long Beach State, went for a double-double against the Heels. Allen could have a similar type night.
North Carolina: G Joel Berry II
Joel Berry II has been exactly what the Tar Heels have needed. He hits the three. He brings the ball up the court. He keeps the team rolling at a fast pace. He is the leader on the court. Berry II is leading the Heels in scoring and assists. His presence is one of the reasons the Heels have been so dominate this season.
Impact Freshmen
Nov 11, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Tulane Green Wave guard Cameron Reynolds (5) blocks a shot attempt by North Carolina Tar Heels forward Tony Bradley (5) during the first half of a game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Hawaii: C Ido Flaisher
The freshman center from Israel is averaging eight points and six boards in just under 12 minutes per game. At 6’10 he is the tallest Warrior by two inches. Hawaii will need every bit of that as they try to keep Meeks and Hicks off the boards.
North Carolina: C Tony Bradley
Bradley has been a great add to this Heels team. He is taking the minutes that Hicks took last season and running with them. So far this year he is averaging 10.7 points and six rebounds in a little over 16 minutes per game.
The freshman phenom is also running the floor and fitting in nicely with the second team. His value has become bigger with the news that Luke Maye will be out for several more weeks this season.
Three Questions
Apr 4, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Nate Britt (0) reacts during the second half against the Villanova Wildcats in the championship game of the 2016 NCAA Men
Is Nate Britt the Right Choice to start?
When the season began the question was who would get the start for the injured Theo Pinson. Kenny Williams started the first game. Nate Britt has started the last two for UNC.
Britt brings experience and ball handling. These are two things that every team can use and can come in handy against teams better than the three UNC has played. It has also made Kenny Williams into an energy guy off the bench. This is similar to what Theo Pinson was last season for the Heels.
Who will be the Tar Heels third deep threat?
So far this season Justin Jackson and Joel Berry II are a combined 14 of 29 from behind the arc. The rest of the team is 7 of 21. Someone else needs to step up if the Heels want to be taken seriously come March.
If Seventh Woods, Brandon Robinson, or Kenny Williams can become a true deep threat it will really open things up for UNC. It will create more space for Meeks and Hicks. It will also create more driving lanes for Berry and Jackson, where they are at their best.
Will the 1 AM ET start have an effect on UNC?
Hawaii is five hours behind us folks on the east coast, which is where the Heels normally function. So what is a 8 pm start there becomes a 1 am start Eastern Standard Time. For some this could be a problem, as I know at 1 am I am not functioning as well as I might at 7 pm. However, when i was in college 1 am was when things got started. So this probably won’t be a problem for the visiting Heels.
Prediction
Nov 15, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) and forward Kennedy Meeks (3) and forward Isaiah Hicks (4) celebrate in game against Long Beach State 49ers during the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. North Carolina won 93-67. Mandatory Credit: Evan Pike-USA TODAY Sports
If this game were last season, Hawaii would have a really good chance. The Heels were shaky and Hawaii was very talented. However, the Warriors lost 10 players from the team that beat Cal as a 13 seed last season.
Final Score: 92-70 UNC over Hawaii. Roy keeps comparing this team to the one that won it all in 2009. That team lost in the Final Four the year before and came out hungry. That team had a good mix of upper and lower classmen as well. The Heels will once again dominate the boards and open their Hawaii vacation up with a W.
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