UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Didn’t Get the Breaks Against the Seminoles

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

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The North Carolina basketball team played their third game in three days against Florida State in the semifinals of the ACC tournament on Friday night. The Tar Heels did not play well in the first half and it was very reminiscent of their first-half played the last time they faced off against the Seminoles. While their defense was not bad, Carolina was unable to get anything going offensively.

The Heels were stagnant on the offensive end, failed to get the ball inside enough, had poor shot selections, and had costly mistakes that allowed Florida State to lead for the majority of the first half. The Tar Heels shot 27% from the field in the first half and just lacked the energy they had in the past two games.

In the second half, UNC came out with much more energy and effort on both sides of the floor. They got back to playing Carolina basketball. Their energy and pressure on defense were key in their effort to get back into the game. After a couple of runs, the Tar Heels would take the lead. However, Florida State would go a run of their own and regain the lead as the game went down to the wire.

North Carolina had several opportunities to take control of the game or take the lead down the stretch but failed to take advantage. In addition to some costly turnovers, poor shot selection, and missed free throws in the last couple of minutes, Walker Kessler, Dayron Sharpe, and Garrison Brooks combined to go 3-9 from the field. This was just too much for the Tar Heels to overcome as Florida State pulled away with the victory. Caleb Love led the Tar Heels in scoring with 13 points and 2 rebounds.

UNC Game Stats

1st     2nd     TOT

North Carolina 24      42      66

Florida State  35      34      69

North Carolina

               Pts     FG     3FG     FT    REB   A    TO      Min     +/-

1 BLACK        7       3-9     0-2     1-2     4       1       1       24      -2

2 LOVE         13      4-14    3-5     2-2     2       1       4       26      -1

5 BACOT        12      5-10    0-0     2-3     6       1       0       26      10

15 BROOKS      5       1-2     0-0     3-4     8       1       1       27      -1

24 WALTON   11      4-10    3-7     0-0     5       1       2       28      10

0 HARRIS       4       2-6     0-1     0-2     3       2       0       14      -6

3 PLATEK       0       0-0     0-0     0-0     0       0       0       4       -5

4 DAVIS        7       2-10    0-3     3-3     1       2       2       24      -6

11 SHARPE      5       2-6     0-0     1-5     6       0       1       17      -1

13 KESSLER   2       0-1     0-0     2-4     3       0       0       9       -13

TOTALS         66    23-68   6-18    14-25   42      9       12

                        33.8%   33.3%   56.0%

Florida State

               Pts    FG      3FG    FT      REB    A     TO      Min     +/-

0 EVANS        1       0-1     0-0     1-2     0       1       2       13      -12

1 GRAY         8       2-8     0-2     4-4     5       2       0       27      -13

2 POLITE        5       2-7     1-3     0-1      7       0       4       24      13

5 KOPRIVICA   17     7-11    0-0     3-5     11      2       2       28      7

23 WALKER      9       3-8     0-1     3-5     1       2       6       28      6

4 BARNES       11      4-7     0-1     3-3      5       4       3       25      12

10 OSBORNE    9       3-4     3-4     0-0     2       0       0       20      6

11 JACK        0       0-0     0-0     0-0     0       0       0       4       2

15 BALLARD     0       0-0     0-0     0-0     0       0       0       1       -2

24 CALHOUN   7       3-6     1-2     0-0     1       0       0       20      -9

31 WILKES      0       0-1     0-0     0-0     2       0       0       6       -3

34 NGOM        2       0-0     0-0     2-2     1       0       1       5       8

TOTALS         69    24-53   5-13    16-22   39      11      18                  

45.3% 38.5% 72.7%

UNC Bright Spots

Caleb Love had 13 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist.

Armando Bacot had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals and 1 assist.

Kerwin Walton had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels must have better ball movement and movement without the ball so their offense does not get stagnant and allow the defense to pack the paint.

The Tar Heels need to be much better at the free throw line. They shot 56% from the line in this game, which is totally acceptable

Final Observations

The Tar Heels have played some of the best basketball of their season in the last few games. Although they did fall short of their goal to win the ACC tournament, they have turned themselves into a pretty good team who has found their identity and a brand of basketball that has made them successful.

This makes them a dangerous team going into the NCAA tournament next week and a team that should not be taken lightly. The Tar Heels have one of the best frontcourts in the nation, if not the best, which will give them the advantage against most teams in the tournament next week.

However, their success will ultimately be determined by the play of the backcourt, who has improved over the course of the season. If they continue to play well, the Tar Heels have the ability to make a deep run. As of now, the Tar Heels are projected to be 8 or 9 seed in the NCAA tournament, but it may change depending on the results of other conference tournaments. This Sunday is selection Sunday, where UNC will find out what bid they get in the tournament.