Behind the most complete defensive performance of the season, the Tar Heels routed California, 79-53 in the Smith Center, to win their fourth straight game, and in the process, improved to 12-6 on the season, and 5-1 in the ACC. Ian Jackson led Carolina with 20 points, on 8-15 shooting, for his 6th, 20-point effort in his last 7 games. Elliot Cadeau was the other starter to reach double figures, adding 15 points, on 7-15 shooting. Seth Trimble was the only other Tar Heel to reach the double-figure scoring plateau, adding 12 points off the bench in 25 minutes.
Just like they did against NC State on Saturday, Carolina set the tone right out of the gate defensively, holding California to 29 points in the first half, on 38% shooting from the field, and going just 1-11 from behind the arc. That defensive effort would carry over into the second half, as they held Cal to a season-low 53 points, on 35% shooting from the field, and 12% shooting from long range. Andrej Stojakovic entered the game averaging over 20 points per game for the Golden Bears but was held to 6 points, on 3-13 shooting, including going 0-5 from three. Carolina entered tonight the best team in the ACC in terms of opponents' field goal percentage, and three-point percentage, and they improved upon those numbers with tonight’s defensive effort.
In the win over SMU last week, Carolina would build a 25-point lead but wasn’t able to sustain that level of play over the course of 40 minutes, leaving Hubert Davis wanting more from his team. Tonight, his team went on multiple runs, including a 20-4 run in the second half, on their way to a 26-point win, their largest margin of victory in conference play this season, all while allowing a season-low 53 points, to a team that averaged over 77 points entering tonight’s contest.
For the first time in 2024-25, Carolina has built legitimate momentum, and they are improving every time they take the floor. It wasn’t that long ago that this team struggled to play at a high level against power conference competition, but over the last two weeks, they have found an identity on both ends of the floor and is starting to play to their preseason expectations, and that’s something to take note of as we continue to make our way through ACC play.
First-Half Offense: The Tar Heels scored 39 points in the first half, tied for the most in an opening half in an ACC game this season, and they did so by shooting 57% from the field. Elliot Cadeau was the difference maker in the opening stanza, scoring 11 of his 15 points, taking advantage of a Cal defense that forced him to shoot the ball, as opposed to controlling the game with his passing. We’ve seen Carolina’s offense operate at an efficient level in the second half plenty of times this season, but that start to the game offensively, combined with their defensive effort, allowed them to take control early, and dictate the way the game was going to be played from start to finish.
Dominant Defense: Don’t look now, but this team is starting to resemble last year’s team defensively, even without the size, or a consistent rim protector. The Heels may allow the second most points per game of any ACC team, but those numbers are outliers, due to a difficult non-conference schedule, featuring many high-scoring teams. Carolina allowed a season-low 53 points, on 35% shooting from the field, and 12% from deep, while limiting Andrej Stojakovic to just 6 points. Carolina entered tonight 40th in KenPom according to defensive rating, and after tonight’s game, they have jumped up to 33rd, and oddly enough their defensive rating is higher than their offensive rating. Credit Hubert Davis and the staff for turning this group around on that end of the floor.
Team Effort on the Glass: Carolina won the rebounding margin 45-33 tonight, and they were led in rebounding, by tVen-Allen Lubin, who grabbed 8 rebounds off the bench in 15 minutes. Ian Jackson added 7 rebounds, and Seth Trimble hauled in 6, to complete a team effort on the glass. After allowing Cal to live on the offense glass early in the game, both teams finished with 11 offensive rebounds, with Cal outsourcing UNC 16-9 in second-chance opportunities.
Seth Trimble: It took 3 games, but Seth Trimble returned to the offensive form we saw during the non-conference season, scoring 12 points off the bench, going 6-6 from the foul line, and grabbed 6 rebounds, all in 25 minutes. While he’s no longer starting, Carolina still needs his production, and his defense, and it’s safe to say after tonight, that shouldn’t be a concern moving forward.
Special Teams: Carolina was better than Cal in almost every secondary category. They shot 92% from the foul line on 12 makes, as opposed to Cal going 2-5 from the stripe, They outscored them in the paint, 44-38. They outscored them in the fast break 16-2. Led by Trimble, Carolina’s bench outscored Cal’s, 26-17. All of those stats added up to the most dominant, and complete win against power conference competition this season.
Up Next: Carolina is back in action at home on Saturday, as they host Stanford at 2:15 PM, on the CW Network.
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