UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Come Out Flat and Fall Short After 2-0 Start
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
The Tar Heels basketball team had their first home game in conference play on Saturday afternoon. In the first half, UNC came out with no energy and no urgency. They played poorly on both ends of the floor, struggled to guard the three-point line and get into their offense. Louisville was able to get whatever they wanted on offense as they hit 7 three-pointers in the first half. They controlled the paint shooting 52% from the field. North Carolina did not play any better in the second half as Louisville continued to dominate the game on both sides of the floor as they extended their lead to as many 21 points.
The Tar Heels were outplayed and outhustled on in every facet of the game and struggled to find any rhythm as they shot 35 percent from the floor and 14 percent from the three-point line. This was by far their worst game of the season. It’s time for someone to step and become the leader of this team. To help UNC when
UNC Game Stats
Kenny Williams had 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assists, and 2 steals.
Cameron Johnson had 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to work on being more consistent in their play from game to game. They need to improve their half-court offense and improve their continuity on defense. They also need to work on cutting down on their turnovers. UNC seems to get fat and happy after big wins. They need to treat each opponent with the respect that is due and take care of business.
Final Observations
The Tar Heel basketball team seems to have an identity crisis and they need to find out what it is if they want to improve as a team. They struggle from game to game to show consistency in their play and effort on the court, which has been a huge issue for most of the season. This home loss against Louisville was the largest home loss under Roy Williams since he’s been there.
The seniors, Cam Johnson, Luke Maye, and Kenny Williams, all need to step up with their play on their court and provide leadership on this team to help break the cycle of inconsistent play. If not, the freshmen will need to take bigger roles on the team. North Carolina needs to learn how to win games when their perimeter shots are not falling and need to learn how to come out with a sense of urgency each game. After coming off two road wins to start off conference play, this was a disappointing performance, but this team still has a lot of room for improvement.