University of North Carolina Athletics

1. What a great game of college basketball – that's exactly why you play it. Carolina was somehow missed Elliot Cadeau Three-pointers tied the game, 92-89 in Lawrence.

2. Be honest: Towards the end of the first half, you didn't expect to invest so much in the second half. But the Tar Heels staged a wild rally, coming from behind by 20 to take the lead with 7:10 left and only lead with two minutes to play.

3. The big trigger for this rally was Jae'Lyn Withers. The Charlotte native hit a pair of three-pointers and scored on a winding drive to preserve the lead and complete a stretch in which he scored eight straight goals for the Tar Heels. Withers also played a big role along the boards, where he led the team with nine rebounds. He was accused of a late turnover and missed a three-pointer, but Carolina isn't in this position without him.

4. Carolina's defense was much stronger in the second half. After Kansas destroyed the nets in the first half, the Heels limited them to 34.3 percent shooting in the second half. KJ Adams was very difficult to stop in the first half and scored 14 points. In the second half he remained goalless, the score was 0:4. Withers was also an important part of Adams' defense.

5. A pretty offensive performance from Kansas in the first half. The Jayhawks finished the half with a score in 17 of their last 24 games, and two of those empty plays were due to missed free throws. They ended up having too much Hunter Dickinson in the second half. He provided points every time they needed to be attacked and finished the game with 20 points and 10 rebounds.

6. The Tar Heel's main bright spot in this half was Ian Jackson. The freshman bounced back from a subpar performance in the opening game, missing three of his four shots.

7. Remember: Davis, Cadeau and Trimble combined to score 4-for-19 in the first half. That will be a recipe for falling behind at halftime against most teams. This is especially true when the opposing team is a Kansas team that shoots 59.5 percent from the field.

8. And the Tar Heels were in a one-possession game heading into the final minute, with Davis shooting 3 for 15 for the game. That should tell you something about the struggle in this group. Seth Trimble led the Heels with 19, including 10 of 10 from the free throw line.

9. The argument often came from names you might not have expected. With the exception of Davis, Trimble and Cadeau – the backcourt is the strength of this year's team by all accounts – the Tar Heels shot 17:28. That's why it's hard to complain too much when you suffer two crucial possessions in the final 90 seconds, like Withers and Jalen Washington missed threes. Logic would say you want to get the ball to your guards there. But logic hadn't brought Carolina back into the game. With less than a minute left in the game, would you have set up a Washington three-pointer with a two-point deficit? No. But this game didn't make much sense.

10. Another highlight in the second half: Ven Allen Lubin. He made all three of his field goals and generally displayed the aggressiveness that was touted as his trademark.

11. Carolina stayed in the game at the free throw line. The Heels scored 28 of 31 points from the charity stripe, an outstanding 90.3 percent.

12. Really strong Carolina fan turnout. As expected, it was the toughest ticket of the year in Lawrence. But Carolina fans found a way inside the building, with Carolina blue in the 15,300 seats.

13. Carolina was in town the day Kansas unveiled significant upgrades to Allen Fieldhouse, in which the program sought to maintain the building's historic character while improving some of the ventilator features and technology. This also includes a brand new sound system that they weren't afraid to turn up to 11.

14. Kansas has now won the last five games in this series since 2008 and is 7-6 in the overall series.

15. The Tar Heels now have a week off before hosting American starting tonight. It will be interesting to see what improvements come with this exposure to one of the best teams in the country. In about three weeks, Carolina will play three very good teams in three days on Maui.

16. Just beyond where he took the shot, it looked like Cadeau's final three was on track. It was close… but it was so close. Carolina learned something on Friday night in Lawrence.