UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC VS Boston College 102-96 OT Win 

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Escapes With an OT Victory Over the Boston College Eagles

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team faced off against Boston College on Saturday afternoon. It was a high-scoring affair in the first half between the squads with neither team playing much defense. North Carolina shot 58% from the field and Boston College shot 55%. After a poor shooting effort from 3 in their last game, the Tar Heels leaned back on their strengths which is scoring in the paint whether through dribble penetration or from the post. UNC made a concerted effort to get downhill attacking the paint, which resulted in 32 points in the paint. 14 of Carolina’s first 17 points came in the paint, and 25 of their 31 first-half shots were twos, which set the tone for the game. North Carolina had no problems scoring the ball, but the major issue was their defense. Boston College practically got whatever shot they wanted and had a great rhythm and flow to their offense from the start of the game. Carolina struggled with their on-ball defense keeping ballhandlers in front of them and didn’t do a good job with their help-side rotations giving up too many easy layups and open shots from the perimeter.  

In the second half, Carolina’s lack of defense continued and so did Boston College’s hot shooting. The Eagles again shot over 50% in the second half after little resistance from UNC defensively and the Heels’ inability to make Boston College uncomfortable or cause disruption on the perimeter or in the paint. Boston College made 14 threes while shooting 58% from behind the arc and scored the most points of the season against the Heels after averaging just 69 points coming into this game. This game was by far the Tar Heels’ worst defensive performance of the year, but their offense was outstanding throughout the game and kept the game close. Seth Trimble, Eliott Cadeau, Ian Jackson, RJ Davis, and Jalen Washington all made huge offensive contributions for the Heels.

The hot shooting from both teams caused this game to go down to the wire. Neither team led by more than 6 in the second half. With about 26 seconds left in regulation, Boston College guard Joshua Beadle hit a shot to put the Eagles up 4 over UNC. Seth Trimble would drive the ball to the basket on the next play, draw a foul, and convert his two free throws to bring the game within 2. On the next possession, Boston College was inbounding the ball and had trouble getting it in because of Carolina’s full-court pressure and Drake Powell’s length on the inbounder, which resulted in a five-second violation. The Tar Heels received the ball back and Seth Trimble made a layup to tie the game. Boston College again had issues getting the ball inbounds and North Carolina forced another turnover, ultimately causing the game to go into overtime. In overtime, the Tar Heels completely locked in, and for the first time all game played some good defense leading to consecutive stops on the Boston College offense. UNC guards Elliott Cadeau, RJ Davis, and Seth Trimble would close the game out for the Tar Heels with clutch baskets as the Heels outscored the Eagles 13-7 in overtime, escaping with a 102-96 win.

UNC Game Stats

Final/OT

	1	2	OT	T
BC	45	44	7	96
UNC	46	43	13	102

  

UNC Bright Spots  

RJ Davis had 22 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. 

Ian Jackson had 19 points, 1 assist, and 1 steal. 

Seth Trimble had 18 points, 12 rebounds, and 2 assists. 

Jalen Washington had 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. 

Elliott Cadeau had 13 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block. 

Needs Work  

The Tar Heels must be better defensively. They must be more disruptive on that side of the floor. It starts with ball pressure using their speed and athleticism to their advantage. They cannot afford to get lazy defensively and not give their all on that end of the floor. They must be better at navigating screens, contesting shots, and defending the paint. It all starts with communication. The better they communicate, the better they will be able to defend and stay connected defensively 

Coach Hubert Davis and his staff must do a better job of making in-game adjustments. They need to be better at making adjustments on the fly. They must be more involved in the game, holding players accountable. There are just too many defensive lapses. Even if it takes implementing zone defenses, full-court or half-court traps, they must do something to help their players be better defensively. Against most teams the Heels are too small, so they must become more of a ball-pressure-centric team causing as much disruption up and down the court.  

Final Observations 

The Tar Heels improve to 13-8 on the season and 8-2 at home. UNC has now won 18 of their last 19 games against Boston College. The Heels continue to be in close games but were able to close this game out in overtime. They executed much better in this contest in crunch time than they had in their last two games which were losses by 1. Carolina was able to get quality shots down the stretch and make timely stops to pull out this victory after playing horrendous defense for 95 % of the game. Defensively they must be much better going forward. They cannot allow teams to get comfortable and get whatever shot they want. It puts too much pressure on their offense and in most games will cause you to lose if they allow teams to score that easily.

The Tar Heels struggled to keep ballhandlers in front of them, close out on shooters, defend the pick and roll, and defend the paint. Their approach to defense just has to better with their focus, attention to detail, and communication. Their defense will be the key to their success because they can score with anyone. You do have to give them credit for the resilience and fight to dig deep and pull out these games, but at some point, they must play better from the start of the game. The Tar Heels have been looking for answers to address their slow starts. They have tried every lineup combination they can think of, but the key to changing their slow starts will need to be the team just leaning on and depending on their strengths, which is their speed, athleticism, and ability to push the pace and attack the basket. Hopefully, this win can wake them up and help them build some confidence going forward. Next up is Pittsburgh on Tuesday, January 28 at 9:00 P.M. on ESPN.