UNC Basketball: Davidson Recap
?There have been many times this year that North Carolina looks like the best team in all of college basketball, then there are times they don't seem interested in being the best team in the country. That was the case Wednesday night in a 83-74 win over Davidson in the Smith Center. Before the game was only 5 minutes old and UNC was down 10-3, Roy Williams pulled 4 starters and sat them on the bench for a solid amount of time. This wasn't the first time Williams has done this and I assure you it won't be his last. The message to the starters was that they've got to be ready to play once the ball is thrown up in the air, and tonight they weren't ready to play. Expect for Justin Jackson, the junior connected on 7 triples on his way to 27 points. Let's take a look at some positives, negatives and who the player of the game was from the win over Davidson:
??Positives:
?1. 3 Point Defense:
Davidson's offense is generated mostly from the 3 point line. In my preview I wrote about UNC had to exceptional, while defending on the perimeter and for the most part they were. They held Davidson to just 8-29 from distance.
2. Free Throw Shooting:
Carolina against Indiana left a lot of points at the foul line, and then struggled in their next game against Radford. Wednesday they were 27-34 from the free throw line, to help get easy points for an offense out of sync.
3. Forced Turnovers:
Ina agame without both Joel Berry and Thei Pinson on the floor Carolina forced 17 turnovers while only allowing 10 assists. This raises the question: How good defensively can Carolina be when fully healthy?
??Negatives:
?1. Lack of Scoring balance:
UNC uncharacteristically only had 3 guys score in double figures, lead by Justin Jackson. While Carolina was without its starting point guard this is still discouraging. While I like Luke Maye adding 10 points of the bench the starters from the game could have done more.
Nate Britt has to better scoring the basketball, he only had 2 points in 31 minutes on the floor. Expect a better offensive performance on Sunday.
2. Our Bigs decision making when double teamed:
Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks continue to struggle when being double teamed by the opponent. Whether it's Meeks turning into the double or Hicks having problems passing out of it, this still plagues this team. They will need to improve because they will see plenty of double teams come conference play.
??Player of the Game: Justin Jackson
?This was a easy choice as the junior tied his career high with 27 points. He did so while hitting a career best 7 threes and was the only reliable option on offense.
Jackson really stepped up in the absence of the injured Joel Berry and took control of the game. Expect more of the same from Jackson if Berry is out for an extended period of time.
??Up Next: Tennessee (5:00 on ESPN)
?The next time we will see the Heels is Sunday at home against Tennessee. Joel Berry is doubtful to play again. This is highlight of Carolina's home non-conference opponent so let's fill up the Smith Center!
