Tar Heels jump all over Wolfpack in first half

North Carolina’s first ACC home game got pushed back by 17 hours.

The Tar Heels were more than ready for N.C. State on Sunday afternoon. UNC jumped all over the Wolfpack and have a 56-23 advantage at halftime.

Everything that could go wrong for N.C. State did with star point guard Dennis Smith Jr. getting into early foul trouble and UNC scoring at will.

UNC went 8 of 17 from the 3-point line in the first half and N.C. State turned the ball over 15 times.

The game was scheduled to be played on Saturday night but UNC made the decision to push the game back to 1 p.m. on Sunday.

N.C. State, coming off of a 104-78 win over Virginia Tech on Wednesday, wasn’t ready for the UNC swarm. Sophomore guard Kenny Williams scored seven early points and Joel Berry fueled a 20-0 run to put the Heels in control in the first 5 minutes.

Smith, who had a triple-double against Virginia Tech, picked up his second foul at 16:06 and went to the bench. N.C. State started the game just 2 of 14 from the floor and with more turnovers (six) in the first 9 minutes than field goals (three).

Berry and Justin Jackson, with five 3-pointers between them, made the Wolfpack pay for their slow start. The Heels, coming off of an 89-86 overtime win at Clemson on Tuesday, led by as many as 31 points in the first half.

Smith picked up his third foul, after a collision with Theo Pinson at 10:17 in the first half. N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried was upset with the call and picked up a technical foul from referee Matt Potter.

Freshman guard Markell Johnson, who picked up Smith’s minutes, led the Wolfpack with five points in the first half. N.C. State shot just 30 percent (9 of 30).

Pinson, who missed the first 16 games with a foot injury, made his season debut. The junior wing had three rebounds and two assists in 6 minutes.

This story was originally published January 8, 2017 at 2:11 PM with the headline "Tar Heels jump all over Wolfpack in first half."