Last night the Tar Heels traveled to Lawrence, Kansas to take on the #1 team in the country, and fell short of what would’ve been a historic comeback, losing 92-89, in a raucous Allen Fieldhouse. Carolina jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead and didn’t look bothered by the hostile environment they were playing in, but that would quickly change, and Kansas eventually built a 51-31 lead, before taking a 53-38 lead into the halftime locker room. The Tar Heels are known for making game-changing runs, whether winning or losing, and they made one right out of the game to start the second half, to get right back in the game. Carolina not only got back in the game, but they eventually took the lead multiple times, including leading 87-83 with 3:30 left in the game. As it often comes down to it in games like this, late-game execution was going to determine the winner and the loser, and Carolina failed to execute after taking the 87-83 lead, as they failed to score in the final 2:03.
The Tar Heels got back into the game, despite shooting 43% from the field, and 30% from behind the three-point line, and they did so by attacking the basket and living at the foul line. UNC went 28-31 from the foul line, headlined by Seth Trimble, who went 10-10 from the charity stripe. One halftime adjustment that Hubert Davis made, was utilizing a smaller lineup, to spread the floor, and open up driving lanes, for Carolina’s guards to continuously attack the basket. Given how the frontcourt has struggled in the first two games of the season, Hubert may opt for more four-guard lineups, to get the best offensive lineup on the floor.
Carolina may have won the battle of the boards last night, but that doesn’t erase the struggles of the frontcourt experienced last night. Virtually every member of the rebuilt frontcourt experienced some sort of foul trouble last night and hindered Carolina’s ability to control the painted area, where Kansas scored 50 points. However, the play of one player may force Hubert Davis to rethink his starting lineup. More on that later.
Last night was a great spectacle for college basketball, as the sport’s two best programs played an on-campus game, something we just don’t see enough of, let alone the first week of the season. You have to credit Hubert Davis and Bill Self for scheduling the game, and even though Carolina lost once again, they learned more about themselves, than they would’ve playing an overmatched opponent at home, like their rival 8 miles down the road. Here’s everything to take away from a fifth straight loss to the Jayhawks:
Backcourt Struggles: It was always going to be hard for Carolina to win the game, it got even harder with every guard shooting less than 40% from behind the arc. Seth Trimble did score a career-high of 19 points but was only 4-10 from the field. RJ Davis’s slow start to the season continues, scoring 16 points, on 3-15 shooting, and 1-7 from behind the arc. Elliot Cadeau scored 12 points but was also 3-11 from the field. Ian Jackson added 10 points off the bench and was 4-5 from the field. The issue with being a guard-oriented team is that when the shots don’t fall, it makes it harder for you to win when you’re as compromised as Carolina is upfront right now. Furthermore, RJ Davis not shooting the basketball in the closing minutes of the game can’t happen again. With the game on the line, the ball needs to be in his hands, as opposed to Jae’Lyn Withers, and Jalen Washington.
Nightmare Scenario for the Frontcourt: It took only two games, but the nightmare scenario that exists with how this frontcourt is constructed, came to fruition. Ven-Allen Lubin fouled out, after only playing 14 minutes, but scored 10 points, and grabbed three rebounds. Between Washington, Lubin, Withers, and Claude, all picked up multiple fouls in the first half, to the point that James Brown, who didn’t play against Elon, had to enter the game last night. Cade Tyson at this point, is borderline unplayable, and you have to wonder if the staff made a miss evaluation on him, after transferring in from Belmont. You have to like the way they competed in the second half, but their inability to play defense without fouling was too much to overcome in both halves. Jalen Washington may have scored 7 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, but got pushed around by Hunter Dickinson. With a week off before their next game, Hubert Davis may need to rethink his starting 5.
Slow Start Defensively: After allowing 76 points to Elon, Carolina not only gave up 92 points last night, but they gave up 53 first-half points, and that’s after allowing 33 points in the first 10 minutes of the game. Kansas shot 49% from the floor and scored 50 points in the painted area. It’s only two games, but this time there is a long way to go to be competitive on that end of the floor. Hubert Davis hasn’t yet deployed the full-court press that was so successful last season, let alone, running and jumping, or trapping out of timeouts. We know how good of a perimeter defender Seth Trimble is, but he needs help, and that help may come in the form of more minutes for Drake Powell.
Turnovers: Carolina was minus seven in the turnover category last night, and got outscored by 14 in points off of turnovers as well. Jae’Lyn Withers committed a turnover in the final minutes when he threw the ball into the backcourt, which highlighted their inability to execute down the stretch.
Up Next: Carolina now has a week off until their next game, which will be against American, next Friday night in the Smith Center, with a tip time set for 8 PM, on the ACC Network.
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