UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Seems Uninterested and Tired in the Loss to Indiana
by Derrick Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team has struggled to find an identity for this season and they have had a hard time getting into a rhythm on offense. Indiana didn’t make it any easier in tonight’s Big 10 – ACC Challenge with their pressure defense cutting off all of the passing lanes.
The Tar Heels shot a paltry 29% in the first half; somehow, they were only down by 6 points at half-time. Pete Nance kept them in the game with 13 points. Caleb Love and R.J. Davis struggled to get the offense going all game and their shot selection didn’t help. They seemed like they were disinterested in playing for most of the night.
This is North Carolina’s third straight loss of the season. Hubert Davis and the staff need to go back to the drawing board. They have too much talent not to be playing better.
UNC Game Stats
1st 2nd TOT
#18 North Carolina 29 36 65
#10 Indiana 35 42 77
North Carolina
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN | ||
| P. Nance | 15 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 36 | ||
| C. Love | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 32 | ||
| A. Bacot | 12 | 10 | 0 | 4 | 28 | ||
| R. Davis | 11 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 33 | ||
| L. Black | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 30 | ||
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN | ||
| P. Johnson | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 | ||
| D. Dunn | 5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 17 | ||
| S. Trimble | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 | ||
| T. Nickel | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ||
Indiana
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN | |
| T. Jackson-Davis | 21 | 10 | 4 | 3 | 31 | |
| X. Johnson | 20 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 32 | |
| J. Hood-Schifino | 14 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 36 | |
| R. Thompson | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 27 | |
| M. Kopp | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 17 | |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | PF | MIN | |
| T. Galloway | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 23 | |
| T. Bates | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 12 | |
| M. Reneau | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 11 | |
| J. Geronimo | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
UNC Bright Spots
Peter Nance had 15 points, 12 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Caleb Love had 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Armando Bacot had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
RJ Davis had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Needs Work
North Carolina has to play with a chip on its shoulder. They need to punch first because they are going to take everyone’s best shot. The Tar Heels have to do a better job defending the three-point line. They need to do a better job of fighting over screens and running the opponent off the line.
The guard play has to be better and more consistent on both ends of the floor. The ball movement has to be better and more deliberate and everyone needs to move without the ball. There is too much one-on-one and ball-watching.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels are now 5-3 on the season. They are on a 3 game-losing streak. They have to decide to fall in love as team. There is too much one-on-one and hero ball. They had 5 assists tonight which is unacceptable. North Carolina has to continue to work on building chemistry and identity.
The coaching staff is going to have to figure out how they want to play. Opponents have taken away UNC’s high ball-screen offense so the team is struggling to score the ball efficiently. Next up is Va. Tech Sunday, Dec. 4th at 3 pm.