UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Fight Hard But Were Outmanned

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

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After the news came out that Cole Anthony will be out for the next 4-6 weeks with a torn meniscus, the Tar Heels basketball team went to play in one of the toughest college basketball environments in the country at Gonzaga on Wednesday night.

North Carolina showed a lot of toughness with their energy and effort tonight with all the adversity they have been through so far this season, but it wasn’t enough for them to pull off the victory. The Tar Heels did all they could to keep the game close early on, but they had too many errors and miscues that allowed Gonzaga to extend their lead later in the game.

In addition, Gonzaga was too much for UNC with the talent the Zags had at their disposal. Although it is another tough loss for the Tar Heels, guys such as freshman guards Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris, and graduate transfer Christian Keeling all gave quality minutes in the game that the Heels can build on moving forward.

UNC Game Stats

                1             2             T

North Carolina    37           44           81

#2 Gonzaga         44           50           94

North Carolina

                      FG       3PT      FT        REB      AST      TO        PTS

G. Brooks      7-11     0-0       2-3         6            3            1            16

A. Bacot        1-6      0-0       0-0         3            0            1              2

L. Black          3-8      0-2       0-0         3            1             2            6

K.J. Smith      1-5       0-3       2-2          2             1             2           4

B. Robinson  0-2     0-2       0-0          4             2            1            0

B. Huffman   1-3      0-0       0-0         3             0           0           2

W. Miller         1-1       0-0       2-2           1             1             0             4

S. Rush          1-1        1-1        0-0          0            0             0            3

J. Francis       4-9      2-3        1-2          0            3             0            11

A. Harris        2-5       1-2        3-4          0            0             0             8

C. Keeling     5-7      0-0       2-4          3             2             2             12

J. Pierce        3-6      1-4        0-0          6             0             2             7

A. Platek      2-4       2-2        0-0          1             0             0             6

TEAM       31-68    7-19     12-17     35           13           12           81

                  45.6%   36.8%   70.6%

Gonzaga

                              FG     3PT      FT       REB     AST      TO        PTS

K. Tillie              3-5     1-3      2-3         3           0             1             9

F. Petrusev     6-11    0-0    8-10       4           0             1             20

C. Kispert      10-12  5-6      1-1          3            1             4            26

J. Ayayi          5-11    1-5      0-0        10          6             1             11

R. Woolridge 5-6     1-1       0-2         4           9             2             11

D. Timme       3-5     0-0      0-2          1            0             1             6

A. Gilder         3-9      1-3      4-4          2            2             2            11

TEAM         35-59   9-18   15-22     30         18           12           94

                    59.3%   50.0%  68.2%

UNC Bright Spots

Garrison Brooks had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

Christian Keeling had 12 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.

Jeremiah Francis had 11 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels need to work on cutting down on their turnovers. They commit too many unforced turnovers too often.

UNC also needs to work on its communication on defense. Too many times they are leaving guys wide open for threes and easy baskets in the paint.

Final Observations

This has been a rough year for this Tar Heel basketball team with all the injuries and adversity this team has faced. As fans when watching these games, we should look for positives that UNC can continue to build on going forward in the season until the team is back at full strength.

North Carolina just needs to take it one game at a time and the players need to work on building team chemistry and their confidence in each game. They need to focus on getting better every game and establishing an identity. So, when Cole Anthony does returns from injury, they can start building a team that is ready to compete once tournament time comes around in March.