Last night, the Tar Heels fell to UConn in the Jimmy V Classic, 87-76, in a game that showed that Carolina belonged on the big stage, but also showed the room the team needs to grow if they want to be a second weekend of the tournament team. In a game between two of the best offenses in the country, the offensive basketball didn’t disappoint. UConn shot a blistering 52% for the game and made 10 three-pointers. On the flip side, Carolina shot 44% from the field, and 35% from behind the arc, but it wasn’t enough. Cam Spencer led UConn with 23 points on 8-14, as he was one of four UConn starters to score in double figures. R.J. Davis led Carolina in scoring for the fifth straight game, scoring 26 points, on 8-17 shooting, including going 4-8 from behind the arc. He’s now scored 133 points over his last five games, establishing himself as the best offensive player on the team.
Carolina trailed at the half 44-39 but felt confident after a strong close to the half. To open the second half, UConn hit Carolina with a 10-2 run, to build a double-digit lead. UNC would eventually crawl back into the game, making it a 65-60 game at the under-12 timeout of the second half, before a 16-6 UConn run, put the game away for good. This loss makes it the first time that Carolina has lost when trailing at halftime.
Hubert Davis has opted to start a three-guard lineup in the last couple of games, and this game showed the downside of just that. Carolina got bullied on the glass, losing the rebounding battle 43-33, including 32-23 on the defensive glass. The 33 rebounds were the fewest in a game so far this season for Carolina. The concerns of playing Elliot Cadeau with R.J. Daviss defensively were also exploited, as UConn’s bigger guards, were able to rise, and shoot over the smaller defenders. The starting five of Davis, Cadeau, Ryan, Ingram, and Bacot is the best starting five that Hubert Davis has to offer, but you saw in this game, the limitations of that group.
This game was a measuring stick for Carolina, as UConn is the defending national champions, and you could argue that they are the best team in the country right now. While UNC entered the game ranked inside the top 10, this is still a program that experienced a complete overhaul in the off-season. Despite the defeat, Carolina proved they belonged on the big stage, but in the process learned what areas they need to improve, if they want to play with the best that college basketball has to offer.
Defense: Carolina’s defense hasn’t been the same since the Battle 4 Atlantis, and it’s officially time to be concerned about where they are headed on that end of the floor. Part of the issue last night is that UConn is one of the best offensive teams in the country, but that doesn’t mean you have to let four starters score in double figures while shooting over 50% from the field. Hubert Davis used the full-court press, which wasn’t as effective as it was against Florida State, but it still made an impact. Davis also threw out a 1-3-1 zone, which led to a Cam Spencer three, but Davis showed a willingness to try something different. During a seven-minute stretch in the second half, Carolina failed to get a stop on one end, and a score on the other, making it hard to complete the comeback. An 11-day layoff gives the staff time to tweak things but also demands more buy-in from the players. There’s no denying that Carolina is among the best offensive teams in the country, but their ceiling is dependent on their growth on that end of the floor.
Armando Bacot: Bacot recorded his 73rd double-double as a Tar Heel, scoring 13 points, and grabbing 13 rebounds. He also picked up a technical foul late in the first half, after celebrating after a put-back dunk on a missed free throw. Bacot’s numbers would lead you to believe that he played at a high level, but he was 4-12 from the field, and 5-10 from the foul line. Everyone knows how important Armando is to this team, and he knows he has to play better in big games for this team to reach all of their goals and dreams.
Missed Free Throws: Carolina entered the game shooting over 80% from the foul line as a team, and last night they were 13-22, which is 59%, and isn’t good enough to beat a team like UConn. Bacot had his first bad game at the line, but it wasn’t all on him. Harrison Ingram was 1-3 from the foul line, and Elliot Cadeau was 1-2. Expect free-throw shooting to be a point of emphasis over the 11-day break.
Shooting Struggles: Not only did Carolina shoot 44% from the field, but they shot 35% from behind the arc, going 7-20. R.J. Davis and Harrison Ingram essentially carried Carolina’s offense, scoring 46 points, on a combined 16-30 shooting. Cormac Ryan was 3-10 from the field, including 0-6 from behind the arc. At somepoint Ryan needs to put the ball in the basket, like he’s capable of, to help this team get to the level that UConn displayed last night.
Rebounding: UConn was the best rebounding team that Carolina had played so far, and they looked the part, winning the battle of the boards, 43-33. Carolina only managed to grab 10 offensive rebounds but only converted them into 6 second-chance points. Harrison Ingram entered the game as the second leading rebounder on the team, trailing Armando Bacot of course, but this team needs all five starters contributing in that department if Hubert Davis wants to continue to play that small lineup.
R.J. Davis: Davis continues his offensive explosion, scoring 26 more points, on 8-17 shooting, and an efficient 4-8 from behind the three-point line. He continues to play at a high level and makes every media member silly for not voting him to any preseason All-ACC team.
Playing Through Ingram: Davis has established himself as Carolina’s leading scorer, and best perimeter shooter, but Carolina’s offense needs to run through Harrison Ingram. Ingram proved to be a matchup problem for the Huskies, being able to get to any spot on the floor and create for himself and others, scoring 20 points, and handing out 5 assists. During halftime, Jay Williams stated that Carolina is a national title contender if they play through him. If a former Duke player is saying that, he must believe it. Ingram needs to become more aggressive and assertive on that end of the floor and be willing to demand the basketball when he has a mismatch. Ingram has lived up to the hype after transferring in, but there’s another level for him to go individually for this team to take that next step.
Up Next: Carolina has 11 days off until their next game, as it’s exam week on campus. When they return to the hardwood, they’ll face off against another blue blood, Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic, on December 16th. That game is set to tip at 5:30 next Saturday, on CBS.
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