PITTSBURGH – North Carolina has shown a gradual improvement over the past few weeks as it accumulates victories, although mostly against teams that reside in the bottom half of the ACC standings. Tar Heels finally capitalized on their growth on Tuesday night with a key 75-65 victory in Pittsburgh.
It’s been a long time. All college basketball was stolen from pre-season games and displays, as well as a condensed non-conference slate, due to COVID-19. These missed opportunities were significant for Tar Heels, who plays six freshmen and a redshirt freshman in his rotation. Instead of playing with mistakes against smaller competitors, UNC was preparing for opponents of the NCAA tournament caliber in the first week of the season.
The result was four initial defeats and several victories that were too close for comfort. The initial conclusion was that UNC was very inconsistent in kicking the ball, very careless in taking care of the ball and very lethargic at times on the defensive line. The glaring bright spot, especially considering how the 2019-20 season played out, is that Tar Heels had a lot of fighting. No deficit was too large to be overcome – a theory that has been tested several times – and so optimism remained that, as this collection of players became a team and its various parts became whole, the slow pace of the past few months of 2020 would change to a typical Roy Williams race as soon as 2021 arrives.
The New Year is here and that is exactly what is happening with the Tar Heels, who won six out of the last seven.
“I feel that with this group we are getting better and better,” said Armando Bacot after the victory. “We are starting to talk more about defense. Everyone is starting to play as they should. ”
The importance of Tuesday’s victory at the Petersen Events Center was twofold: (1) UNC won its first Q1 victory to reinforce its NCAA tournament curriculum; and, most importantly, (2) recent gaming trends seemed to solidify in a traditional Carolina basketball style, which has been more or less absent since Luke Maye and company left the city two years ago.
The list of good points in Pittsburgh was extensive. Tar Heels set the season’s highest record of 60.7 percent in the second half, marking the fourth time in five halves that surpassed 50 percent (after five of those halves in the first 27). They hit 52.5 percent for the game while watching 22 of the 32 goals scored. Its 22:13 assist-turnover ratio is a high season (while also moving the team into positive assist-turnover territory in the season for the first time since opening). It was also one of the team’s best defensive performances, holding Pittsburgh with 41.8 percent of shots, contesting almost all attempts at field goal in the rim.
Individually, Bacot solidified his player of the month award with 21 points, the best of the season, in 8 out of 10 shots and 10 rebounds. The sophomore pivot averages 16 points from 66.7 percent of shots and 8.2 rebounds in his last five games. Garrison Brooks came out of his recent crash (16 points, 8 of 11 FGA), Kerwin Walton continued to perfect his soft stroke (10 points, 4 of 8 FGA) and while Caleb Love struggled to kick the ball, he showed his best assist ratio -turnover of the season (5: 1).
“[We’re] just playing with a lot of confidence and putting the ball in, ”said Brooks. “Just play as we are taught to play every day, break offensive boards, put the ball in early and learn to play with our strengths.”
The benefit of UNC’s success in January is that this team’s confidence is no longer the fragile shell of before, so Williams can be even more demanding in the coming weeks. While this team is finally getting together, there is still a long way to go to reach its potential.
“I never thought you came around the corner,” said the Hall of Fame coach. “You are at ACC; you are as good as your last game. I will come back to what I said consistently: I think we are getting a little better and a little better. “
Foolish turnovers remain the culprit, as well as the missed shot (UNC is shooting 67.5% in the ACC game). However, it was clear in Pittsburgh that these Tar Heels discovered their identity.
It was no longer an arduous task to work the attack through the post, and when Jeff Capel moved to a zone to counter the UNC game plan, Tar Heels moved effortlessly to his attack zone, without needing a scolding from his coach on the sideline for guidance. They controlled the boards, protected the rim and even took remarkable steps against the ball screen.
The path ahead remains challenging, although this UNC team finally seems prepared for the routine of the ACC game.