UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. Notre Dame 74-73 Win

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Escapes on the Road at Notre Dame With Cadeau’s 4-Point Play That Sealed the Victory

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team faced off against Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. UNC played very well in the first half. The Tar Heels were locked in and focused from the beginning. Defensively, Carolina was really good in the halfcourt with their ball pressure and forced Notre Dame into tough shots early. Most of Notre Dame’s points came in transition and from a few defensive lapses by the North Carolina defense. But overall, Carolina kept them in check and led for most of the half with their largest lead being 11.  UNC guard Ian Jackson came out in attack mode and led the way offensively with 17 first-half points. The Heels did a nice job of sharing the ball, moving without the ball, and were unstoppable on the fast break in transition. 8 different Carolina players scored before halftime. The Tar Heels shot 52% from the field and 32 of their 39 first-half points came in the paint.  

To start the second half, North Carolina made 3 of their first four shots and looked like they were in complete control of the game, pushing their lead to double figures. However, over the next few minutes, UNC relaxed and started to make mistakes getting away from what gave them their lead. Notre Dame showed some resilience and went on a 12-0 run to give them a one-point lead. It would become a battle for the remainder of the game. Once Notre Dame took the lead, it seemed like the Fighting Irish were getting a good shot or going to the free-throw line every time down the floor. The Tar Heels struggled to defend the dribble penetration of Notre Dame’s guards Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry, and forward Tae Davis and the lack of help-side defense by the Heels allowed the Fighting Irish to drive at will at score or get fouled.

This game would go down to the wire and UNC would have to dig deep to come out of this contest with a victory. Ian Jackson was outstanding throughout the game and finished the game with a career-high 27 points, carrying most of the offensive load for the Tar Heels with his ability to score off the dribble with the pullup jumper and ability to blow past his defender with elite finishing at the rim. Elliott Cadeau, RJ Davis, Jalen Washington, Drake Powell, and Jaelyn Withers all made key contributions down the stretch of the game with either key baskets or a critical defensive play. Notre Dame would make it tough for the Heels late in the game.

With just over a minute left in the game, North Carolina was down 71-68 and Elliott Cadeau would make the three biggest plays of the game. Elliott Cadeau went down and made a layup to cut the lead to one with 22 seconds left in the game. Notre Dame responded by going down getting fouled and converting their two free throws to push their lead back to three. The Tar Heels would have an opportunity to tie the game on the next possession, and in the biggest possession of the game, Elliott Cadeau would drive down to the right wing, break down his defender with a between-the-leg crossover step back, and drill a game-tying 3 while being fouled. Cadeau would hit the free throw to make it a And One and give the Heels a one-point lead for 4 seconds on the clock. Notre Dame guard Markus Burton had a chance to make a game-winning layup, but Elliott Cadeau played excellent defense on him and forced him into a tough layup attempt to seal a 74-73 win over the Fight Irish for the Tar Heels. 

UNC Game Stats

Final

	1	2	T
UNC	39	35	74
ND	32	41	73

 

UNC Bright Spots  

Ian Jackson had a career-high 27 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block 

Elliott Cadeau had 10 points and 6 assists. 

Needs Work  

The Tar Heels need to sustain playing at a high level for longer stretches of the game. They must be consistent with their effort, energy, and intensity and be able to extend leads and not relax when they think they are in control of the game. Every play and possession matters.  

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. They must also emphasize moving the ball more offensively and not get caught up playing one-on-one basketball.  

Defensively, this team needs to be much better on the perimeter defending against dribble penetration and with their help-side defense. They cannot afford to get lazy defensively and not give their all on that end of the floor. They must be better at navigating screens, contesting shots, and defending the paint as well. It all starts with communication. The better they communicate, the better they will be able to defend and stay connected defensively 

Final Observations 

North Carolina improved to 9-6 on the season and recorded their first ACC win of the season. The Tar Heels played much better in the first half of this game, and hopefully, this will be the trend for them going forward. They were much more focused and locked in on both ends from the start of the game. That is a good sign. The Tar Heels still go through these stretches where they get stagnant offensively and focus on defense drops. They must address and eliminate those bad stretches of basketball. We need to see the Heels put together a game where they play well for the entire 40 minutes of the game against quality competition.

We are still waiting to see their A-game. In the meantime, all wins are good no matter how you get them. Ian Jackson has become a huge revelation for the Tar Heels and has scored 20 points in four straight games. He has easily become Carolina’s best offensive player and go-to guy on that end of the floor. For the Heels to reach their full potential, they will need other guys such as Elliott Cadeau, RJ Davis, Jalen Washington, Drake Powell, and Seth Trimble when he returns to give consistent offensive contributions to each game. It will take some pressure off Ian Jackson and make their offense more efficient. If they can give consistent effort, energy, and intensity on defense, and share and move the ball offensively while playing at their elite face pace they will put themselves in the best position to win each game. Next up is SMU on Tuesday, January 7 at 9:00 P.M. on the ACC Network.