3 UNC basketball players who impressed in Tar Heels big win over Loyola

UNC basketball opened up the Hubert Davis era with a massive victory over Loyola (MD) and these three players were highly impressive for the Tar Heels.

It was the dawn of a new era for UNC basketball on Tuesday night as the Tar Heels tipped off the 2021-22 season in the Dean Dome against Loyola-Maryland as head coach Hubert Davis officially took over for the legendary Roy Williams.

After one game, you have to grade Davis’ tenure as a tremendous success as North Carolina took their opponents to task in an 83-67 victory that was tightened up on the scoreboard after the walk-ons took the floor.

Yes, the level of competition was far from steep. However, it was a successful debut for Davis with the Tar Heels. So as we look at the big win, let’s look at a handful of players who stood out as UNC basketball moved to 1-0 to begin the season.

UNC basketball: 3 stars from Tar Heels win over Loyola

3. Kerwin Walton

Many North Carolina fans were crying to see more Kerwin Walton last season as he was by far the team’s best shooter. He was still coming off the bench on Tuesday but he showed that he can be a hugely valuable piece still with his ability to fill it up.

Walton finished the win with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from deep and 4-of-7 shooting overall. He gave the second unit a huge boost with both his ability to spread out the defense with his shot-making ability but also attack and create a little bit as well. Let’s hope there’s more Walton in store under Davis.

2. Brady Manek and Dawson Garcia

We’re lumping the two newcomers by way of transfer together but both Brady Manek and Dawson Garcia showed out in their respective debuts for the Tar Heels.

Manek, a grad transfer from Oklahoma, go the start for North Carolina and showed out with 20 points on 9-of-15 shooting along with five boards. He could be even more dangerous as he went just 1-of-5 from 3-point range after being above 35 percent every season with the Sooners.

As for Garcia, the Marquette transfer came off the bench and made a big impact in the frontcourt with 12 points and nine rebounds for the Heels. Especially if Armando Bacot is off, as he was on Tuesday, the presence of Garcia could be immensely valuable.

1. Caleb Love

In the simplest terms, Caleb Love looked like the highly-touted recruit that the Tar Heels were promised but seldom saw in the 2020-21 season.

The UNC point guard was by far the best player on the floor throughout Tuesday night, attacking the rim with aggression, showing an improved outside jumper and really setting up his teammates for good looks or putting them in nice situations.

Love finished the game with 22 points, two assists and two rebounds, but even that doesn’t do justice to how well he played, especially in comparison to his inconsistency a year ago. If the point guard is going to look like this as the level of competition ramps up,

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