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Late Night with Roy 2016: Score and Reaction from UNC Midnight Madness
October 15, 2016
A year ago, North Carolina came within three points of winning a national championship. If there are any hangover effects, they weren't on display Friday night.
The Tar Heels hosted their annual Late Night With Roy event, which gave folks in Chapel Hill their first look at the 2016-17 roster.
The verdict: Things are looking pretty good! The raucous night began with two choreographed dance numbers, which only video can do justice, via Carolina Basketball:
That led to...even more dancing, via a dance-off between Theo Pinson and Joel Berry II:
More than anything, entertainment was at the top of the marquee this year. Fans got to see Justin Jackson twerk and Kennedy Meeks do his best Janet Jackson impersonation. The basketball portion saw a three-point contest and skills competition before finally ceding to the intrasquad scrimmage.
Jackson and Isaiah Hicks each scored 13 points to lead the way for their respective teams. But, as always, the scores and points totals were secondary to the highlights and glimpses of potential.
The school's Twitter feed provided some of the best highlights of the action:
Coach Roy Williams' 2016 class did not rank among his best, according to Scout.com, but Friday still saw the debut of a few notable faces. Tony Bradley, the prized center who leads the top class, impressed in the two-man shooting competition. The Late Night With Roy Twitter feed was impressed:
Seventh Woods, who rose to prep superstardom off a series of impressive mixtapes, also showed the Tar Heel faithful what he could do for the first time. Woods got one of the loudest ovations from the crowd at introduction and sent the crowd into an uproar when he dove for a loose ball early in the scrimmage.
He is not, unfortunately, No. 7. Which remains perhaps the greatest oversight in world history.
The least touted Tar Heel freshman, Brandon Robinson, came through with perhaps the best performance. The sweet-shooting guard nearly won the three-point contest before losing to Nate Britt in a tiebreaker and flashed his range in the scrimmage.
Overall, North Carolina will once again be led by a veteran group of players. Gone are the likes of Brice Johnson and Marcus Paige, but Berry, Jackson and Meeks have returned and are ready to take on a greater leadership role.
The Tar Heels lack the obvious lottery-bound superstars of Duke or Kentucky but should contend again for a Final Four berth.