UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs California 84-78 Loss
UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Struggles Again on the Road to End Their West Coast Trip With Another Loss
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team faced off against California on Saturday night. The Tar Heels started the game very sluggishly, and California jumped out to a 7-0 lead. The California Bears were comfortable from the tip and got whatever shot they wanted offensively. Carolina showed little resistance to California’s offense and was a step slow on most defensive possessions, allowing open shots all over the floor. When UNC did have success defensively, it was when they increased their ball pressure and forced turnovers. The forced turnovers would allow the Heels to get out in transition for easy baskets and keep the game within reach.
However, California was just in a groove offensively, and they were moving the ball to open man for quality shots every time down the floor, taking advantage of North Carolina’s lazy defense. The Golden Bears scored 54 points in the first half while shooting 56% from the floor and making 10 threes. The Heels tried to switch their defense from man to zone, but they still couldn’t stop California from generating good shots. Carolina just looked lost defensively, and their defensive struggles started to affect their offense because they started to take rushed shots, make uncharacteristic turnovers, and just not be aggressive getting to the basket or attempting shots in the paint. UNC almost looked defeated in the first half and were down 54-37 going into halftime.
In the second half, both teams were trading baskets for about the first ten minutes after halftime. But in order for North Carolina to get back into the game, they would need to get consecutive stops in addition to knocking down shots. The Tar Heels were down as much as 20 in the second half. However, with about 8 minutes left, UNC finally started to play some defense after switching to a full-court press. The Heels started to force turnovers and make California take tougher shots, which allowed Carolina to get some baskets in transition and gain some confidence. Over the next few minutes, UNC would go on a 20-5 run to cut their deficit to 4 with just over a minute left.
The lineup of Derek Dixon, Jaydon Young, Seth Trimble, Caleb Wilson, and Henri Veesaar was instrumental in the comeback for the Heels with stifling defense, timely baskets, and aggressive play on both ends of the floor. Down the stretch, UNC had a chance to complete the comeback but didn’t take the right shots, and it cost them. Seth Trimble took some tough shots that didn’t fall, and the Tar Heels couldn’t make enough plays after putting themselves in a big hole because of their horrendous defense for 33 minutes of a 40-minute game. 3 California players finished with at least 19 points, and they made 14 threes for the game. North Carolina suffers their fourth loss of the season and allowed over 80 points on 50% from the field and 14 threes for the fourth consecutive game.
UNC Stats
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| 14 North Carolina 14-4 | 37 | 41 | 78 |
| California 14-5 | 54 | 30 | 84 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| C. Wilson | 17 | 5 | 4 | 6/12 | 0/1 | 5/6 | 3 | 34 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| H. Veesaar | 14 | 10 | 2 | 5/11 | 1/6 | 3/8 | 5 | 33 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| D. Dixon | 14 | 1 | 3 | 5/11 | 4/8 | 0/0 | 0 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| S. Trimble | 12 | 2 | 4 | 2/6 | 1/2 | 7/8 | 2 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| J. Stevenson | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| L. Bogavac | 7 | 5 | 2 | 3/5 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Z. High | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3/5 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Young | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 2/2 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Powell | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1/1 | 1/1 | 0/2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K. Evans | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/2 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| I. Denis | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| I. Matlekovic | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Brown | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| E. Davis | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Holbrook | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| E. Smith | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 78 | 29 | 16 | 26/56 | 9/27 | 17/28 | 15 | – | 10 | 4 | 11 |
| Starters | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| J. Camden | 20 | 2 | 4 | 7/14 | 4/8 | 2/3 | 2 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| D. Ames | 19 | 0 | 3 | 8/14 | 3/5 | 0/0 | 2 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Pippen | 19 | 4 | 5 | 5/8 | 3/4 | 6/6 | 3 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| L. Dort | 7 | 12 | 2 | 3/7 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 4 | 24 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| C. Bell | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1/6 | 1/4 | 3/3 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bench | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| M. Ilic | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2/2 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 3 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| D. Campbell | 5 | 3 | 1 | 2/3 | 1/1 | 0/1 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| M. Kocanas | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| S. Carr | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 2 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| N. Dorsey | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Ruff | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| R. Petraitis | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| D. Manyiel Dut | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| S. Yeanay | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| S. Marbury II | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| B. Fisher | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| J. Clark | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| L. Butler | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Total | 84 | 29 | 20 | 29/58 | 14/26 | 12/16 | 20 | – | 6 | 1 | 12 |
UNC Bright Spots
Caleb Wilson had 17 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks
Henri Veesaar had 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and one block
Derek Dixon had 14 points, 3 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal.
Seth Trimble had 12 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels’ perimeter defense needs to be better. They must be better at closing out on shooters, containing ball handlers, and even running their opponent off the three-point line when they’re hot from behind the arc. Their rotations must be faster, and their communication must be better to make sure everyone is on the same page when they are either switching, hedging, doubling, or going under or over on their pick-and-roll coverages.
When teams get hot offensively, I would like to see Coach Davis and his staff do a better job of making adjustments on the fly. They must be better at switching defenses and coverages to throw different looks at the opposing offense, which will help disrupt their flow and rhythm. Being more aggressive offensively and getting the other team’s best player in foul trouble can also be another way to disrupt the rhythm and flow of the opposing team’s offense.
The Tar Heels also need to make sure they don’t allow teams to take them out of their game and dictate the way they play. Offensively, they are at their best when the ball is moving, the bigs are getting touches, and the guards are getting dribble penetration because it usually leads to great shots. They must play that way no matter what defense the opponent throws at them.
The Heels must be better at the free-throw line. Shooting 61% at the free-throw line is unacceptable. Its hard to win games when you are not a good free-throw shooting team, especially in close games.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels drop to 14-4 on the season. All of their losses have come away from the Smith Center, so they need to find a way to play better on the road. Their defense over the last few games has been atrocious. They have allowed 58 threes over the last four games, which is the most in UNC basketball history. The effort, energy, and intensity that they are showing on defense is unacceptable. Hubert Davis and his staff must make adjustments and take out the players who don’t play hard on defense. At times, it looks like they have never played defense before. They can’t guard the three or stop the guard or wings from driving to the basket and scoring. Teams are scoring however they want against UNC.
Players are putting up career highs, particularly opposing teams’ guards, and having their best shooting performance against the Tar Heels. At some point, the Carolina players need to just take pride in stopping their opponents, no matter what. The way they have been playing defense is embarrassing, and the players should be disappointed in themselves because they know they can play much better. Coach Davis and his staff must find a way to reach these players and galvanize them to execute the gameplan. Coach Davis should only play the players right now that defend. If they aren’t defending, they shouldn’t be on the floor until they consistently play well as a team on that end of the floor. This team is much better than what they’ve shown over the last four games. They haven’t looked like that team we saw before the new year. Earlier in the season, they took pride in playing defense and were playing unselfish, aggressive, smart team basketball.
Now they are not playing as a team and are not playing like they want to play for each other or Coach Davis and his staff. A leader must emerge to get them out of this funk and overcome this adversity and tough time they are going through. Coach Hubert Davis must get this team back on track and get more from his guards because they are hurting this team and their ability to reach their potential. If the guards don’t play better, this team won’t go far in the tournament. If this season ends similarly to the way the last couple of seasons have ended, Hubert Davis’s job will be in jeopardy. This is not Carolina basketball. They have the talent to be one of the best teams in the country, so that’s the way we expect them to play. Coach Davis and his staff must do everything they can and exhaust every option and strategy to get this to play to their potential, or he will be out of there. Next up, North Carolina returns home to play against Notre Dame on Wednesday, January 21, at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN 2.
Outside of Wilson and Vesaar, the rest of the team has to figure out how they want the rest of the season to go. That includes coaches.