UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. Georgia Tech 68-65 Win 

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Survive in an Ugly Win Against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team came into this game with just 4 wins, the fewest wins through 8 games since the 2001-2002 season, and has lost three straight games. The Tar Heels looked to get back to the winning column against Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon. It wasn’t a pretty start to the game for the Heels. Midway through the first half, UNC had more turnovers (6) than field goals (4) and 0 assists. At this point in the game, both teams were shooting under 30% from the field, but Georgia Tech was outhustling UNC for loose balls and offensive rebounds, which allowed the Yellow Jackets to take an early lead. Carolina was playing very lazy, lackadaisical, nonchalant, and uninspired basketball on both ends of the floor. With just over 9 minutes left in the first half, Seth Trimble decided to put his imprint on the game and scored 6 straight points for the Heels, which gave them a much-needed spark. This spark would fuel a 13-0 run for the Tar Heels and give them their first lead of the game.  The Heels shot 44% from the field in the first half and held the Yellow Jackets to just 34%. But the Tar Heels still only found themselves up 1 going into halftime, which was their first halftime lead in the last five games. All 31 first half points for UNC were scored by the guards as the frontcourt’s production continues to be an issue for Carolina.  

The second half was a tight one and a back-and-forth game between the two squads. The Tar Heels really struggled in the halfcourt, and easy baskets only came in transition and on the fast break. Carolina missed 8 of the first 10 shots coming out of intermission but held Georgia Tech to 0-5 during that span helping the Heels to extend their lead to 5. Georgia Tech is a resilient team and wouldn’t let the Heels take full control of the game. The Yellow Jackets battled the whole game and put pressure on North Carolina on both ends of the floor. The Tar Heels could never quite put Georgia Tech away because of the unforced turnovers and bad shot selection. UNC point guard Elliott Cadeau had 7 turnovers, and the rest of the team followed his sloppiness with the ball. Even with the Heels not playing their best basketball, Carolina still found themselves in a prime position to win the game. RJ Davis, Ian Jackson, Seth Trimble, and Elliott Cadeau all made critical shots and plays down the stretch to help put away Georgia Tech late. The Tar Heels had their worst offensive output of the season with 68 points, 18 turnovers to just 10 assists, and shot 39% from the field. However, UNC had one of the better defensive performances of the season holding Georgia Tech to 65 points and 31% from the field after allowing at least 85 points in the last four games. The Heels were resilient and found a way to win in the end to break their three-game losing streak.

UNC Game Stats

Final

	1	2	T
GT	30	35	65
UNC	31	37	68

UNC Bright Spots  

Seth Trimble had 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. 

RJ Davis had 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. 

Ian Jackson had 15 rebounds, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist. 

Needs Work  

The Tar Heels need to start games with more energy, effort, and intensity on both ends of the floor. Their slow starts allow teams to get confidence early in games and put them at a disadvantage against their opponents.  

Coach Hubert Davis must do a better job of running plays for the Bigs, incorporating them more in the offense for more than just setting screens and rolling and crashing the offensive glass. Jalen Washington and Ven Allen Lubin are skilled enough offensively to have specific plays designed just for them. This will make them a more consistent offensive threat that opposing defenses will have to account for and it will make it easier for the guards and wings to get more quality shots at the rim and on the perimeter. 

The Tar Heels must take better care of the basketball. They cannot be loose, lazy, or lackadaisical with the ball or it will cost them. They had 18 turnovers in this game, which is totally unacceptable. 

Final Observations 

The Tar Heels got a much-needed win against Georgia Tech on Saturday afternoon and moved to 5-4 on the season. They break their 3-game losing streak and improve to 58-14 in ACC openers and 64-8 in ACC home openers. Coming into this game Carolina had led for only 11:11 out of 165 minutes in the last four games (8:04 vs. Dayton, 0:00 vs. Auburn, 1:08 in the overtime loss to Michigan State, and 2:01, all in the first half, vs. Alabama). This win should help this team relax and get back to playing Carolina basketball. Over the last few games, it seems like they haven’t been having fun or playing with enough joy on the court as they were earlier in the season. The Tar Heels still have things to address if they want to reach their full potential as a team. They need Elliott Cadeau and RJ Davis to be more efficient on offense with their shot selection and their overall decision-making since they are the lead guards. Cadeau and Davis are the engines of this offense and will only go as far as they take them. Coach Davis and his staff also need to make sure they are emphasizing the intensity, effort, and energy the Heels bring consistently defensively from game to game because that will be critical to this team’s success. This team on most nights is one of the best-scoring teams in the country, but will need to prioritize defense first to take them to the next level. In addition, the bigs need to be involved in the offense and be able to utilize their strengths offensively to add another dimension to the offense and take pressure off the guards to do everything on that side of the floor. If this team can make those improvements, they will put themselves in a position to have the most success as a team. Next up is La Salle on Saturday, December 14 at 4:00 P.M. on the CW network.