UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Free Throws Woes Haunt Them Again
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
North Carolina guard Christian Keeling looks to pass while forward Armando Bacot, right, defends against Duke forward Javin DeLaurier (12) and forward Wendell Moore Jr. during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Chapel Hill, N.C., Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The Tar Heels basketball team played like the better team for most of the game against Duke on Saturday night. North Carolina was getting good contributions from everybody with 5 players scoring in double figures and everyone who touched the floor scoring at least 8 points. Carolina led for most of the game and had a 13-point lead with four minutes left in the game.
However, due to bad offensive possessions and missed free throws late in the game, Duke was able to make a comeback and send the game into overtime. In overtime, things did not go Carolina’s way down the stretch. Duke was able to capitalize on UNC’s mistakes and Wendell Carter hit the game-winning layup at the buzzer.
UNC Game Stats
1 2 OT T
North Carolina 44 40 12 96
#7 Duke 35 49 14 98
North Carolina
Pts FG 3FG FT REB PF A Min +/-
1 BLACK 8 3-7 0-3 2-4 7 5 9 32 -6
2 ANTHONY 24 7-17 1-4 9-10 11 4 4 43 0
3 PLATEK 9 3-7 0-1 3-6 7 4 5 35 -5
5 BACOT 12 4-10 0-0 4-9 7 5 3 29 5
15 BROOKS 18 9-12 0-0 0-5 5 3 2 37 -8
22 MILLER 1 0-0 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 3 5
32 PIERCE 11 5-9 1-3 0-0 4 3 0 21 -1
55 KEELING 13 5-7 1-1 2-2 4 2 0 25 0
TOTALS 96 36-69 3-12 21-38 51 27 23 225
52.2% 25.0% 55.3%
Duke
Pts FG 3FG FT REB PF A Min +/-
0 MOORE 17 5-8 0-1 7-10 10 2 2 30 4
1 CAREY 18 6-12 0-1 6-7 6 5 1 27 -7
2 STANLEY 22 7-19 1-5 7-8 6 5 2 36 8
3 JONES 28 11-25 0-4 6-9 5 2 6 42 -3
41 WHITE 0 0-1 0-1 0-0 2 1 0 11 2
12 DELAURIER 2 1-2 0-0 0-0 4 2 0 16 -6
13 BAKER 3 1-5 1-3 0-0 3 2 3 18 5
14 GOLDWIRE 2 1-3 0-0 0-0 3 1 0 22 -5
15 O’CONNELL 6 2-3 2-2 0-0 1 3 0 16 14
21 HURT 0 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 4 1 7 -2
TOTALS 98 34-80 4-18 26-34 42 27 15 225
42.5% 22.2% 76.5%
UNC Bright Spots
Cole Anthony had 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Garrison Brooks had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Christian Keeling had 13 points and 4 rebounds.
Armando Bacot had 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Justin Pierce had 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to work on their free throws. They missed 17 free throws in the game. Some of those misses included some key free throws down the stretch that would have sealed the game.
The Tar Heels also need to work on cutting down on their turnovers and work on their decision making down the stretch of games. Dribble penetration has been an issue for UNC all season. They must have better help defense.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels drop another close game and are now 3-9 in conference play. Losing close games has been a trend for North Carolina during conference play. They must find ways to execute better down the stretch to close out those games. UNC has not had a break go their way with the officials either. The no-call against Platek which was an obvious foul with 10.6 seconds left was the backbreaker.
The coaches also need to do a better job of making adjustments down the stretch of games when they see their players struggling late in games. UNC has endured a season full of adversity and this has not been what was expected, but the Heels must be determined to finish the season strong.