UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. La Salle 93-67 Win 

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Try to Reset and Rebuild Their Focus Against La Salle

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

After a six-day layoff, the North Carolina basketball team faced off against La Salle on Saturday. The Tar Heels found themselves down 8-2 in the game’s opening minutes due to their poor shooting start, missing six of their first seven shots. Once the Heels settled in, they responded with a 20-2 run to open the game up. This run set the tone for the rest of the game for Carolina as they extended their lead to as much as 17 before halftime. In the first half, UNC excelled at their dribble penetration and scoring inside with 26 of their 42 first-half points coming in the paint. The Heels also got great bench production with 23 points off the bench almost outscoring La Salle, who had just 25 first-half points. North Carolina played 10 players in the first half and all 10 of the players scored. Defensively, UNC was outstanding holding La Salle to just 32% before intermission and made everything difficult for them offensively, leading the Heels into a 17 advantage at halftime. 

In the second half, North Carolina continued to play well on both ends of the floor and extended their lead to as much as 33. UNC made a concerted effort to score inside all game and after halftime did a good job of getting the Bigs involved offensively. The Heels were finding the Bigs on rolls, and post-ups, and dropping the ball off to them off dribble penetration for easy baskets. Carolina’s dribble penetration and success inside the paint opened the floor for their offense and allowed them to find open shots on the perimeter. Cade Tyson benefited from this most with 14 second-half points, which included 4 three-pointers. This was the most balanced North Carolina’s offense has looked in weeks and the offense was very efficient as a result, shooting 53% from the floor. UNC was also outstanding defensively and forced La Salle into several tough shots, holding them to 35% from the floor. North Carolina played one of the better overall games of the season on Saturday night and got their sixth victory of the season over La Salle. 

UNC Game Stats

Final

	1	2	T
LAS	25	42	67
UNC	42	51	93

UNC Bright Spots  

Cade Tyson had a career-high 23 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, and 1 block 

RJ Davis had 13 points 5 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal. 

Seth Trimble had 10 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. 

Ven Allen-Lubin had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block. 

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 does a good job of attacking the pain and one of the main sources of offense is at the free throw line. Over the last few games, the Heels have struggled from the free throw line, and it was no different in this game, shooting under 50% from the charity stripe. UNC needs to be more focused on the free-throw line and convert those opportunities since they are getting to the stripe at least 20 times per game.  

Final Observations 

North Carolina improves to 6-4 on the season. The Tar Heels are still rounding into form and maturing into the team they want to ultimately become.  To reach their potential, they must play team basketball and lock in defensively first and foremost. The coaching staff must emphasize this every single day. That will be the recipe for success for this team. The Heels have so many talented scorers and can beat you in a variety of ways. Their defensive play each night and their willingness to play for each other and together is what will separate them. They no longer need to rely on RJ Davis to handle most of the scoring load and the sooner the coaching staff and Davis himself realize that the better it will be for the team. RJ Davis leads the team in shot attempts on most nights and doesn’t need to. Seth Trimble, Elliott Cadeau, Ian Jackson, Drake Powell, and Cade Tyson have all led the team in scoring in at least one game this season and the Tar Heels are much better when they have a balanced scoring attack. When the ball is moving and everyone is getting touches, North Carolina’s offense is lethal and at its best. It makes the game easier for everybody and when everyone is feeling good about their roles offensively, it helps them play better defensively and lock in on all the other aspects of the game such as rebounding, screening, communicating defensively, playing help defense, and overall energy and intensity on both ends of the floor. North Carolina hit its stride around this time last season and is looking to do the same this season. They have two critical games coming up against Florida and UCLA and need to show and play at an elite level for 40 minutes. Carolina has yet to put together an elite performance against one of the better teams in the country and it will be paramount for their confidence and the direction of this team for the remainder of the season. Next up is #9 Florida on Tuesday, December 17 at 7:00 on ESPN.