UNC vs. Wisconsin: Score and Reaction from Maui Invitational 2016

North Carolina announced itself as one of the top teams in college basketball with a 2016 Maui Invitational Tournament championship Wednesday night at Lahaina Civic Center.

After blowout wins over Chaminade and Oklahoma State, the No. 4 Tar Heels capped their run with a 71-56 win over No. 16 Wisconsin in the tournament finals. They never trailed in three games on the Hawaiian island.

Per Carolina Basketball, Joel Berry II was the tournament MVP after scoring 46 combined points in the last two games. Head coach Roy Williams had high praise for his point guard:

Duke alumnus Jay Williams also praised the team during the win:  

Kennedy Meeks was the dominant force for North Carolina, earning a double-double in the first half before finishing with 15 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. He also had two assists, two blocks and two steals.

Berry led all scorers with 22 in the win, while Justin Jackson and Isaiah Hicks also reached double figures.

Andrew Carter of the News and Observer made an observation North Carolina's opponents won't like:

Vitto Brown led the way for Wisconsin with 15 points, but the big story was Nigel Hayes, who struggled in all aspects and ended with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting.

ESPN's Jay Bilas described a major issue for Hayes, via Benjamin Worgull of Scout:

Seven of the forward's 11 shots were from beyond the arc, and he knocked down only one of those looks.

Meanwhile, Bronson Koenig was even worse with two points on 1-of-13 shooting.

The Badgers shot just 38.2 percent from the field as a team and had only 12 assists, which is uncommon for a Wisconsin squad.

Former UNC star Kendall Marshall described North Carolina's defensive effort:

"

this Carolina team doesn’t play super fast but they’re efficient and defend. a lil different than were used to but i like it!

— Kendall Marshall (@KButter5) November 24, 2016"

ESPN.com's Jeff Borzello noticed another problem through the first 30 minutes:

The Badgers ended up with four offensive rebounds and were minus-12 in the rebounding battle overall. 

UNC improved to 7-0 on the year and is making a legitimate argument for the No. 1 ranking. But this is Wisconsin's second loss of the young season, bringing its record to 4-2.

The game began as ugly as imaginable, with both teams struggling to make shots from the floor. The Badgers were especially bad, needing over seven minutes to get their first points on a D'Mitrik Trice three-pointer.

UNC wasn't much better, as the Badgers remained within striking distance in the first half despite the poor start.

Paul Biancardi of ESPN.com summed up the game from Wisconsin's perspective:

North Carolina's Twitter account noted some of the ways the team limited the Badgers:

The most telling mark of the first half, though, might have been that the teams combined to shoot 34.5 percent from the floor.

Hayes was especially bad in the first half for Wisconsin, as Joshua Riddell of DraftExpress described:

He and Koenig combined to shoot just 1-of-11 in the first half. The difference for UNC was the play of Meeks and Berry, who had 20 of the Tar Heels' 29 points at halftime.

While the Badgers started to shoot a bit better in the second half, it didn't matter, as North Carolina started to really show what it could do on the offensive end.

Berry began to take over to help extend the lead, as Inside Carolina noted:

CSN Big Ten then described an especially poor stretch for Wisconsin:

"

Some ugly play by the #Badgers, who haven’t scored in almost five minutes. UNC on a 9-0 run. UW down 46-29 with 11:41 to go. #B1G #B1GTalk

— Big Ten Talk (@CSNBigTen) November 24, 2016"

It only got worse from there, as poor offensive possessions and lazy defense turned a competitive game into a rout.

On the other hand, UNC made shot after shot and eventually closed out an easy 15-point win that wasn't as close as the final score would indicate.

While the Maui Invitational was a competitive start to the nonconference season for both teams, things won't get easier for either one. Wisconsin will return home for a matchup against Prairie View, but games against Syracuse and Oklahoma follow.

North Carolina will go on the road to face No. 3 Indiana, which has already beaten Kansas this season. No. 1 Kentucky is also on the schedule before the new year.

Postgame Reaction

Although North Carolina is used to playing a fast-paced attack, the team was forced to adjust against its slower opponent. However, it could pay off down the road.

"To be a really good team, you have to win in the 50s and 60s," head coach Roy Williams said after the game, per Carter.

Meanwhile, Wisconsin will try to take the good from an up-and-down tournament. 

"Obviously we've got work to do," head coach Greg Gard said, per the team's official Twitter account. "But there's no question we're leaving the island a better team than when we got here."

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