After a third straight loss earlier this week, the Tar Heels now start conference play later today, as they host Georgia Tech, in their first of 20 ACC games this season. On Wednesday night, Carolina got routed by Alabama 94-79 in the second annual ACC/SEC Challenge, dropping their record to an even 4-4, and in the process, raised the frustrations of not only their head coach but the UNC fan base. The Alabama game marked the fourth straight game that UNC trailed by double digits in the first half, and it was the fifth time in just eight games, they’ve trailed by double digits in the first 20 minutes. Nobody could’ve seen that coming when this team was ranked inside the preseason top 10, and picked to finish second in the ACC, one year after winning the league.
Just like Carolina, Georgia Tech is 4-4, although they haven’t played the type of competition that Carolina has so far. Three of their losses have come against Cincinnati and Oklahoma, both teams ranked at the time, they lost to Georgia, and to, North Florida the first week of the season. Their wins haven’t been impressive either, as they have come against West Georgia, Charleston Southern, Central Arkansas, and Texas Southern. They are led in scoring by Lance Terry, who averages 14.6 points per game, as he’s one of four Yellow Jackets to average double digits. As a team, they have struggled to shoot the basketball, as they shoot 44% from the field, and just 32% from behind the arc.
Carolina typically plays the difficult non-conference they play to get them ready for ACC play. This year, that may not have been necessary, given how much the ACC struggled in the ACC/SEC Challenge, going 2-14, and what their record is against Power Conference competition. The worry is that Carolina playing all these tough games, and losing all of them, may have ruined their confidence when the season started, because not even the players would’ve predicted the struggles they’ve experienced against Power Conference competition so far. With their back against the wall, hopefully, Carolina is prepared to run through the league and make up for wins they've lost in the early part of the season.
After the loss on Wednesday, Hubert Davis told his team they better bring their work boots to practice, in an effort to become a better overall team and start to improve dramatically on the defensive end of the floor. Davis didn’t make many tactical adjustments after the Maui Invitational, but you would have to imagine that will change going into today’s game. With that said, the staff can make all the tactical changes that they want, or adjust the starting lineup, but none of it matters unless this team commits to playing hard, playing smart, playing together. Here’s how they can do that, starting today against Georgia Tech:
Bring Your Work Boots: What made Carolina so good last year, was that they did all the little things, that added up to winning basketball games. That hasn’t been the case so far this season. This team has been hesitant to get into the trenches and fight and scratch to earn every loose ball, they’ve struggled to box out opponents, and keep them off the offensive glass, let alone just getting into a stance and guarding someone with intensity. There hasn’t been a game this season, that Carolina has made their presence felt on the defensive end of the floor, and until that changes, the results won’t. Hubert Davis has been hesitant to deploy the full-court press that was so effective last year, and maybe that changes today, to give his team a chance to defend at a competitive level. Nonetheless, if this team refuses to do the little things that winning requires, they’ll either continue to lose or continue to struggle against power conference competition.
Improved Backcourt Play: There’s no denying that if Carolina’s guards play as badly as they did the other night, they’ll struggle to win any game moving forward. RJ Davis was 7-24 against Alabama, Seth Trimble was 4-14, and Elliot Cadeau was 0-4. Cadeau was so bad on Wednesday, that there’s a case for him to be moved to the bench in favor of Ian Jackson, but at somepoint, he’ll have to play at a high level for this team to reach its full potential. Shot selection hasn’t been as big an issue as the shooting percentages would suggest, but Carolina can do a better job, getting guys more open looks both from the perimeter and inside the arc. This team is dependent on the play of its guards, and if they play the way they did on Wednesday, the result will likely be the same.
Limit Turnovers: Carolina turned it over 7 times in the first 10 minutes the other night, and that was too many empty possessions against an explosive team like Alabama. Georgia Tech isn’t the offensive juggernaut that the Crimson Tide are, but empty possession would allow them to hang around longer than they should. Cadeau was a walking turnover the other night, committing 4 in 25 minutes, so you know that has been a focal point at practice the last couple of days.
Series History:
The Tar Heels are 72-28, all-time against the Yellow Jackets, including 32-6 in Chapel Hill. In the Smith Center, Carolina is 27-5, having won the last two times they’ve played inside the Dean Dome.
ACC Openers:
This is the 72nd season of ACC basketball, and Carolina is 57-14 all-time in conference openers, and 63-8, in ACC home openers.
KenPom:
North Carolina - 25th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 119.0 (12th) Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 98.7 (59th)
Georgia Tech - 109th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 109.4 (104th) Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 103.7 (136th)
NET:
North Carolina - 43rd.
Georgia Tech - 180th.
TV Info:
Today’s game will tip at 2 PM, on the ACC Network.
The Four Corners Podcast:
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