UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC VS Duke 82-69 Loss

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Offense Stalls in the 2nd Half and They Lose to Duke to End the Regular Season

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team faced off against its rival Duke in the final game of the regular season. It was the first time the two programs had entered a game with winning streaks of at least six games, respectively. This game was intense from the very beginning, and both teams’ energy was high. The Tar Heels came out with a game plan to disrupt Duke’s high-powered offense with ball pressure, and had some success early, forcing some turnovers. The Heels’ defense on ball screens is what hurt them. Duke hit pull-up threes and scored easy baskets off ball screens. UNC was late getting over those screens, and the big was too far back in drop coverage, leading to open shots for the Blue Devils. At one point, Duke was even shooting over 60% from the field with all their offensive success. Duke’s length on defense really bothered the Heels offensively, forcing Carolina to take tough contested shots and overcompensate shots at the rim.

The Blue Devils switched from man-to-man to zone defense on several possessions and forced Carolina into some empty possessions. Those empty possessions and Duke’s hot shooting from the field allowed the Blue Devils to push their lead to 14 as Carolina was out of sorts. The Tar Heels would respond. Once UNC picked up their defensive pressure and cleaned up their mistakes guarding the pick and roll, the Heels got consecutive stops. North Carolina’s pressure and activity defensively allowed it to force turnovers, get out in transition, and push the pace for easy baskets. The Heels found success against Duke’s defense when they became the aggressor and attacked the basket relentlessly, which got the Blue Devils in foul trouble. North Carolina would go a 10-0 run because of their suffocating defense and transition offense, which brought the game within one point. RJ Davis was tremendous in the first half with 15 points, keeping the Heels in it with his shot-making as they trailed by only one going into halftime. 

In the second half, the Tar Heels came out on fire, hitting five of their six shots, and went on a 10-4 run to go up by 5. Carolina’s ball pressure and activity defensively really disrupted Duke’s offensive rhythm and forced them into either turnovers or ill-advised shots. UNC’s defense allowed them to get out on the fast break and score in transition. North Carolina completely sped up Duke on both ends of the floor and the Blue Devils looked out of sorts. In the first 8 and a half minutes of the second half, the Tar Heels held a 5-7 lead throughout after getting quality shots every time down the floor and locking down Duke defensively. Midway through the second half, RJ Davis went out of the game with cramps, and there was a loose ball foul missed that would’ve given the Heels the ball up 6. The momentum shifted in Duke’s favor after that play and with RJ Davis out of the game.

In a matter of minutes, UNC went from up 6 to down 6 after several empty possessions. At this point, the Tar Heels’ offense was very stagnant, and no one could make a shot, not even RJ Davis when he re-entered the game. It would be an uphill battle for the remainder of the game for Carolina. North Carolina couldn’t get consistent production offensively down the stretch of the game as they settled for threes and missed easy layups at the rim. Duke made every critical basket they needed to extend their lead and closed the game on a 33-14 run, shooting 60% in the second half. It was a total collapse for the Heels in the game’s close minutes with no offensive rhythm or answers for Duke switching defense, and their inability to get consecutive stops late to stop the bleeding. Carolina shot under 40% in the second half and had their worst offensive output since the Clemson game, which was their last loss. UNC suffers another tough loss to their rival and ends the regular season 20-12 overall. 

UNC Stats

Final

	1	2	T
DUKE	43	39	82
UNC	42	27	69

UNC Bright Spots  

RJ Davis had 20 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. 

Ven Allen-Lubin had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 block 

Needs Work  

The coaching staff must do a better job of making in-game adjustments. When the opponent is disrupting their offense and the players can’t buy a basket, it’s up to the coaching staff to run plays that can get them easier shots. They could also implement a full-court trap and press in an attempt to force turnovers for more opportunities for easy baskets. 

The Tar Heels need to improve their ball movement and player movement. Offensively, they cannot afford to have empty possessions or long periods without scoring due to stagnant offense.   

Defensively, they must be better with their intensity, energy, effort, and ball pressure. They have allowed teams to get too comfortable on offense early in games and must come out with more focus and attention to detail on that end of the floor. The Tar Heels must prioritize every possession on both sides of the floor. Every play and possession matters and should be just as important as the last. They cannot afford to get lazy and not give their all on either end of the floor. These are the habits that they can build to help them as they get ready to make a run in March. 

Final Observations 

The Tar Heels fall to 20-12 on the season, 13-7 in ACC. The Heels finishes the season in 5^th place of the ACC standings. This loss against Duke breaks their 6-game winning streak. Carolina had their chances but didn’t get production from enough players offensively. RJ Davis was the only one that showed up offensively for the Tar Heels. That was not the recipe for success in their recent winning streak before tonight’s loss. They were coming off 3 consecutive games where at least five players scored in double figures and had been the hottest shooting from three in the nation over the last couple of weeks.

Tonight, they reverted to the old Carolina team that played one-on-one basketball and didn’t move the ball to the open man at the most critical point of the game. It cost them and now they will need the ACC tournament to keep their NCAA tournament hopes alive. Next week, the Heels head to Charlotte to play in the ACC tournament. They will need to win at least two games to provide a resume that the NCAA tournament committee will respect. The Tar Heels have shown over the last couple of weeks the type of team they are capable of being. Going forward, it will be about that team showing up against the best teams in the country. They will need consistent offensive production from multiple players and be able to play tremendous defense consistently. Next Wednesday, March 12 they will either face Notre Dame or Pittsburgh at 2:30 P.M.