Things started to look ugly in the second quarter, though, as the Hawks went on a 13-2 run, the Raptors were 1-12 (1-12!) to start the second frame and their 3-point shooting went cold. To add salt to the wound, Scottie Barnes & RJ Barrett really struggled to put points on the board.They only had 18 points in the second frame, but their spirited effort set the tone of what would be a much different second half.
Charging out of the second half with rousing energy and edge changed everything, both for Friday night's game and in validating Hubert Davis' retooling of the roster after the Tar Heels barely made last year's NCAA tournament. By the end, the 25th-ranked Tar Heels had rolled to an 87-74 win against the 19th-ranked Jayhawks behind contributions from a star freshman, a transfer-portal big man and a returning senior who took on the toughest defensive assignment against Kansas star freshman Darryn Peterson.
A start of a new season in Queens has brought new players and new uniforms to St. John's but the product on the court was very similar from a season ago. The Johnnies were sluggish and cold offensively to start its exhibition slate against Towson before turning up the defensive pressure and getting timely buckets after halftime, turning an 8-point deficit into a 10-point win, 73-63.