Carrier Classic 2011: 5 Lessons North Carolina Learned

Roy Williams was fighting vertigo, but North Carolina looked steady as the Tar Heels took out the Michigan State Spartans 67-55 in the Carrier Classic aboard the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego.

The idea of a major college basketball game played outdoors on an aircraft carrier still seems both weird and wonderful.

Here are five lessons for the Tar Heels to take away from their first game of the 2011-12 season:

Lesson No. 1: 14 Turnovers Is Too Many, Even Against a Good Defensive Team

Fourteen turnovers against the Spartans is not shocking but it is something that Roy and the Boys will want to address as they move forward.

UNC's PG Kendall Marshall had five turnovers, equal to his career-high (three times last year as a freshman).

North Carolina averaged 13.3 turnovers per game last year, good for No. 151, which put them squarely in the middle of the D-1 hoops' pack.

Obviously, the 14 TOs didn't cost the Heels this game. Sometime later in the season, it could be the critical stat in a disappointing loss.

Lesson No. 2: Dexter Strickland Has a Nice Overall Game

Dexter Strickland scored 10 points (on 4-of-7 shooting) and handed out five assists.

He played rock-solid defense and pinched two steals.

One game (even if it is played on an aircraft carrier) may not determine who gets most of the minutes at SG for the Heels this season.

The Carrier Classic can serve as a legitimate statement by Strickland to Roy and the 2011-12 college basketball world that he's ready to contribute instead of just filling out the starting five.

Lesson No. 3: Defending the Three-Point Line Well Pays Off

North Carolina snuffed out Michigan State's long-distance shooting, limiting the Spartans to a frigid 2-for-20 (10 percent) from beyond the arc.

If Izzo's squad would have hit even 30 percent from three against Roy's Boys, it would have been a different game.

Last season, only nine D-1 teams averaged holding their opponents under 30 percent from three-point range. The Tar Heels held their opponents to 33.1 percent shooting from downtown (No. 109 in the nation).

This year, if UNC can shut down their opponents' outside shooting like they check them in the lane, they will be nearly impossible to beat.

Lesson No. 4: John Henson May Be Ready for a Monster Year

John Henson may request that all Tar Heels' games are moved outside.

What first jumps off the stat sheet about Henson's first-night performance is his nine blocked shots (one shy of Brendan Haywood's school record).

Almost equally impressive was Henson's silky shooting touch that helped him go 6-of-10 from the field. 

Since Henson averaged 10.1 boards per game last year, the 6'10" junior's seven rebounds against MSU could amusingly be deemed below-par.

Lesson No. 5: Getting Beat by 11 on the Boards Usually Spells Trouble

Michigan State out-rebounded North Carolina by 11.

Draymond Green, the Spartans' do-everything forward, pulled down 18 boards, including seven of MSU's 19 (!) offensive rebounds.

Usually, the rebounding battle is one of the key factors in determining the game winner.

It is strange to hear that the Tar Heels were out-dueled on the glass because they were the No. 1 rebounding team in the nation last year.

Watch the rest of the 2011-12 season. You may not see the Tar Heels get out-rebounded a half-dozen more times.

My prediction is...Carolina will lose every other game this season in which they lose the rebounding clash by double digits.