UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Pounds the Cardinals For Its First Road Win
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The North Carolina basketball team faced off against Louisville on Saturday afternoon as they looked to get their first true road win of the season. The Tar Heels got off to a sluggish start and looked disinterested on both ends of the floor early in the game. Louisville took full advantage of the Heels’ lackadaisical play as UNC struggled to defend the Cardinals’ ability to get downhill and score in the paint. After being down as much as 8 early on with about 10 minutes left in the first half, the Tar Heels finally woke up and started to play their game.
UNC would go a run and outscored the Cardinals 30-11 to close the half, leading 37-26 at halftime. During this run, the Heels picked up their intensity on defense, holding Louisville to just 32% from the field, and started to move the ball more on offense to get the best shot available on every possession. Carolina was also able to get out in transition for easy baskets and early offense because of their pressure defensively, which is when they are at their best. Armando Bacot was excellent in the first half and led the way with a double-double while playing on a gimpy ankle.
In the second half, the Tar Heels opened up the game and pushed their lead to as much as 23 as a result of their excellent defense and their ability to get whatever shot they wanted on offense. UNC’s intensity and pressure on defense caused Louisville major problems as the Heels had 8 steals in the second half alone. This allowed UNC to play in transition and play at a fast pace where they thrive as a team.
The Heels shot 54% from the field in the second half and scored 23 points off of Louisville turnovers. North Carolina also got significant contributions from their bench led by D’Marco Dunn who had 14 of the bench’s 26 points. Carolina completely dominated Louisville in the second half, outscoring them 43-26 in the second half with 8 assists on 14 made baskets, leading the Tar Heels to their first true road win of the season.
UNC Game Stats
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| North Carolina 12-6 | 37 | 43 | 80 |
| Louisville 2-16 | 26 | 33 | 59 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| A. Bacot | 14 | 16 | 1 | 5/8 | 0/1 | 4/5 | 4 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| R. Davis | 12 | 4 | 5 | 4/7 | 2/4 | 2/2 | 4 | 27 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| P. Johnson | 12 | 6 | 0 | 5/12 | 2/6 | 0/0 | 3 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| C. Love | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3/14 | 0/7 | 4/6 | 3 | 33 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| L. Black | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2/4 | 0/1 | 2/2 | 3 | 23 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| D. Dunn | 14 | 5 | 1 | 5/7 | 2/3 | 2/2 | 1 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| J. Washington | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 4/4 | 4 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| D. Styles | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 1/2 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| T. Nickel | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Trimble | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| STARTERS | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| E. Ellis | 22 | 3 | 4 | 6/16 | 1/5 | 9/9 | 1 | 34 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| S. Curry | 9 | 4 | 0 | 4/7 | 0/0 | 1/3 | 5 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| M. James | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2/7 | 0/1 | 4/6 | 2 | 26 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| J. Withers | 8 | 8 | 0 | 3/9 | 0/3 | 2/3 | 2 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| J. Traynor | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1/3 | 0/2 | 0/0 | 0 | 32 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| BENCH | PTS | REB | AST | FG | 3PT | FT | PF | MIN | STL | BLK | TO |
| R. Wheeler | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2/4 | 0/0 | 0/3 | 3 | 19 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| K. Lands | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1/3 | 0/1 | 0/0 | 2 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Z. Payne | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1/1 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| H. Miller | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0/1 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| F. Basili | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0/3 | 0/1 | 1/2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| D. Ree | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0/0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
UNC Bright Spots
Armando Bacot had 14 points, 16 rebounds, and 1 assist.
DeMarco Dunn had a career-high 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist.
RJ Davis had 12 points, 4 rebounds, and 5 assists.
Puff Johnson had 12 points and 6 rebounds.
Caleb Love had 10 points, 1 assist, and 5 steals.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to come out with more energy, urgency, and effort to start games. Their lackadaisical play to start games allows their opponents to get too comfortable.
The team must also be better with their shot selection, move the ball more often and take advantage of their mismatches on offense to give them a more balanced offensive attack in the half-court.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels improve to 12-6 on the season and 4-3 in ACC play. It was a much-needed win for the Heels as it was their first true road win of the season. With Pete Nance out with a back injury and Armando Bacot playing hobbled with an ankle injury, Coach Davis played more of his bench in this game. 10 total players got minutes in this game and UNC was rewarded with good contributions from the bench. With injuries to their starting frontcourt and Caleb Love in a shooting slump, the improved play of the bench could not come at a much better time.
The confidence that players have gained from these minutes will bode well for this team going forward and make them a much more complete team. The main concern with this team so far this season has been the inconsistency with their play. In some games they play like a championship team, in other games they don’t. Resolving this issue will be key for this squad down the stretch of the season as they look to establish themselves as one of the best teams in the country once again. Next up is Boston College on Tuesday, January 17 at 7:00 P.M.