For most of the first half, the North Carolina Tar Heels found themselves in a dogfight with Navy in the Dean Dome.
UNC led 38-31 at halftime, a game in which they were 24-point favorites over the Midshipmen. It was clear UNC was not playing up to standard. Even in the second half after the Tar Heels opened up a big lead, they allowed a 15-0 run to Navy as they cut the lead to nine with over a minute or so to go.
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Following the 73-61 win, the Tar Heels weren’t satisfied. They called for a players-only meeting in the locker room to hash things out. And for freshman phenom Caleb Wilson, their play wasn’t up to standard.
“I was stoic,” Wilson said after the game. “It was a close game, and I was pissed off. That sh*t shouldn’t happen. That’s just how I feel. We’re North Carolina. Navy played as hard as they could, but that should never be a close game.”
No disrespect to Navy, but he’s right. As 24-point favorites on their home floor, UNC played down the competition on Tuesday. Credit to Navy for taking advantage of that and making it a fight.
Wilson finished the game with 23 points and 12 rebounds, posting another double-double. He had a stretch of three straight dunks in a minute, which ignited the Tar Heels. His play ignited the Tar Heels, as Davis pointed out after the game.
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“His game ignites us. It ignites the crowd, it gets us going,” Hubert Davis said after the game via TarHeel 247. “It’s not a verbal ra-ra, but his game just does that. In the second half, the plays that he made, instinctively, just brought everything up. That’s the type of person, the presence that he brings. But it definitely comes from his game.”
The schedule gets tougher for UNC starting next week in Fort Myers. They face off against St. Bonaventure and then a ranked Michigan State team. And right now, it feels like they will go as Wilson goes.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Caleb Wilson was ‘pissed off’ after win over Navy
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