1. Auburn was the better team for the entire 40 minutes and won an 85-72 decision in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational late Tuesday night.

2. The Tigers had many outstanding performances on offense. But the only consistency across all 40 minutes was their defense, as their length and athleticism constantly made it difficult for Carolina to get anything going offensively. UNC shot 43.5 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from the three-point line while turning the ball over 10 times – which Auburn turned into 15 points.

3. And a big part of the offense that never got going was production at the free throw line. The trio of Elliot Cadeau, RJ Davis And Seth Trimbles Uses on the line were an important part of the Heels’ goal-scoring attack. But they only made four total trips to the finish line on Tuesday, including just one. If you had said so Hubert Davis When he found out earlier on Tuesday that this trio would end up with a 4-1 lead, he probably would have known it wouldn’t be a great night.

4. It was a great night for Auburn’s Johni Broome, who posted a double-double with 23 points and 19 rebounds. There wasn’t much separation in the rest of the two teams. But the mere presence of Broome – who also blocked three shots – was enough to decide the outcome.

5. Carolina, in particular, had no answer for Broome in the first half. The Auburn big man, who has been great this season, posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in just 16 minutes of the first half. Broome, rightfully pleased with himself, did most of his damage near the basket, and Carolina simply didn’t have the post presence to provide enough resistance. Hubert Davis changed its five starters in the second half Ven Allen Lubin instead Jalen Washingtonwho had a 1-4 night with two rebounds. Lubin’s aggressiveness (which resulted in a team-high nine rebounds) was a bright spot on Tuesday.

6. Despite all of Broom’s heroics, the Tar Heels did well to maintain contact with the Tigers. While Broome hit 8 of 13, the rest of his teammates were 8 of 24. That left the Heels only eight points behind at halftime. And Auburn never really managed to completely put Carolina away. But the Heels just couldn’t generate enough consistent offense to make the game close enough to make the Tigers sweat.

7. Auburn took advantage of their athleticism by throwing a few different defensive looks at the Heels. A zone in the second half was annoying and caused a few turnovers for Carolina. It’s just very difficult to make normal passes from one guard to another – including some inbound passes that force the Tigers into deflections or turnovers.

8. In a game that featured top-notch athleticism, Seth Trimble stood out. The junior Tar Heel was the one who consistently improved his offense in the first half, scoring on various attacks and scoring nine points in the first half. Trimble finished with a Carolina-high 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting.

9. These are consecutive first periods in which Carolina had to play from behind. The Tar Heels scored a season-low 32 points in the first 20 minutes on Tuesday night – one point worse than their 33-point performance on Monday against Dayton.

10. There were two Tar Heels with positive numbers in the +/- category on Tuesday: Drake Powell at +9 and Ven Allen Lubin at +2. Powell’s minutes are slowly starting to increase as he played over 20 minutes in both games here in Maui. You might see more of him tomorrow against Michigan State when the Tar Heels and Spartans meet in the third-place game at 9:30 p.m. Eastern. The Tar Heel guard rotation is set – the high scoring trio plus Ian Jackson in reserve. Fourth and fifth spots are less certain and still appear to be open to someone who can string together some quality performances.