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UNC Basketball: How The Tar Heels Can Fix Their Problems
A look at how the UNC basketball team can fix its problems and stop the Tar Heels' current skid of two straight losses.
February 9, 2016
The UNC basketball team has some flaws, but here’s how the Tar Heels can fix them and stop the skid.
Call it the Hateful Eight.
Eight days ago, North Carolina was flying high. The Tar Heels were the No. 2 team in the country, riding a 12-game winning streak that dated back to mid-December. Few teams had challenged them. They hadn’t exactly played the best teams in the ACC, but they were handling their business and humming along.
Then they had to go to Louisville.
The trip to Notre Dame was more of the same.
The Fighting Irish weren’t as successful at shutting down Paige and Berry—they scored 31 points and handed out eight assists—but North Carolina’s offense was countered by the defense’s inability to again keep ND out of the paint. All five Notre Dame starters scored in double figures, and the Irish scored 34 points in the lane. UNC also got housed on second-chance points (23-13) and on points off turnovers (19-0).
When the dust settled and the final buzzer had gone off, North Carolina had given up 50 points in the second half and was on its first losing skid of the year.
Those are the facts. Here’s how it can get fixed.
It starts with a mirror.
Following the Notre Dame loss, forward Brice Johnson said his team didn’t play with enough toughness. Head coach Roy Williams said his team didn’t play with enough intensity and didn’t find any consistency from possession to possession. Bringing the same look to the floor every time out is the difference between a good team and a great team, and UNC has the talent to be truly great. The question is whether they can take the lessons learned from the ugly week, look in the mirror and agree that everyone has to step it up, especially on the defensive end.
Accountability is everything for the Tar Heels right now, and there’s no greater accountability than the standard you hold for yourself.
Second, it’s going to take an effort from Paige, Berry and forward Justin Jackson to be more focused on shutting down the driving lanes on the perimeter. The guards and small forward are the first line of defense, and if they’re getting beat on drives, if their communication is poor and their movement is slow, every game is going to turn into a lay-up line.
Again, it comes down to mental toughness, the ability to shake off a missed shot or a turnover and get back on defense. UNC allowed a 15-point first-half lead to slip away in South Bend because it allowed mistakes on the offensive end to turn into easy baskets for the Irish. There also was too much reaching instead of moving, which led to ND getting to the line 38 times.
All of these are problems that can be fixed in the short term. Williams’ team isn’t lacking talent or quickness or speed. It’s lacking the consistent focus to play hard every possession on defense.
Two losses aren’t going to kill Carolina’s season. The Tar Heels may have slipped in the rankings, but there is nothing but opportunities ahead, starting with the trip to Boston College Tuesday night. Pitt, Duke, Miami (Fla.), and Virginia are just a few of the opponents who should help keep that focus during the stretch run.
Turning up the intensity on defense will lead to more opportunities on offense to boot, and creating more turnovers will avoid the issue of teams getting physical with UNC’s guards in the halfcourt.
The great teams adjust in-season to polish their flaws and turn past losses into future positives. We’re about to see if UNC can be great this year.
