UConn basketball again faced a tough early season test on Tuesday in the form of North Carolina. The Huskies left this one different than their clash against Kansas last Friday after an 11-point win over the Tar Heels at Madison Square Garden.

UConn led by as many as 17 in the second half and did not trail after taking a 9-8 lead with 15:29 left in the first half. Cam Spencer led the Huskies with 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists, perhaps his most complete game in a UConn jersey.

It was a major improvement from his stat line in the loss to Kansas – six points, four rebounds, two assists – a game that was a motivating factor for Spencer leading into this game.

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“I put a lot of that (Kansas loss) on myself,” Spencer said, via David Borges. “I definitely came in with a lot of motivation and anger to help the team the best way I could. I thought we raised our intensity level from that Kansas game.”

Spencer, a graduate transfer from Rutgers, is averaging 16 points per contest with UConn. The Huskies needed reinforcements after several key players from last year's national championship-winning squad left the program. Spencer was a huge get for multiple reasons, including his veteran prowess and scoring ability.

UConn basketball is 8-1 this season with Spencer second on the team in scoring. The Huskies have another significant game next Friday against Gonzaga before Big East play begins. Conference play is always a different beast, so Cam Spencer and crew have to play with the same sort of intensity they had on Tuesday against Big East opponents.