UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Struggles Continue on the Road
by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn
North Carolina’s Armando Bacot (5) makes a basket in front of Pittsburgh’s Eric Hamilton (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2020, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
The Tar Heels basketball team did not look ready to play against Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon. There was little to no energy on the offensive and defensive sides of the floor for most of the game. Pittsburgh took advantage and led the game from start to finish.
Pittsburgh scored 18 points off the Tar Heels’ turnovers alone in the first half and also hit six threes. UNC struggled mightily offensively for the game as they only shot 31 percent from the field and committed 16 turnovers. Carolina did make an effort to come back from a lead that was as much as 22 points by bringing it within 10 points late in the second half, but the double-figure deficit was too much to overcome.
UNC Game Stats
1 2 T
North Carolina 23 29 52
Pittsburgh 43 23 66
North Carolina
MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST TO PTS +/-
G. Brooks 38 7-15 0-0 2-8 13 1 3 16 -10
A. Bacot 28 5-12 0-0 2-3 11 2 3 12 -3
L. Black 34 2-5 1-2 0-2 4 2 0 5 -5
B. Robinson 32 3-10 3-9 3-4 3 0 3 12 -14
A. Platek 18 0-2 0-0 0-0 3 4 1 0 0
S. Rush 2 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0 -4
J. Francis 15 0-5 0-2 1-2 1 0 2 1 -10
C. Keeling 15 0-4 0-1 2-2 4 1 0 2 -10
J. Pierce 16 2-6 0-3 0-0 3 1 3 4 -14
TEAM 19-60 4-18 10-21 47 11 16 52
31.7% 22.2% 47.6%
Pittsburgh
MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST TO PTS +/-
E. Hamilton 20 1-2 0-0 3-4 4 0 0 5 3
J. Champagnie 15 2-8 1-4 0-2 2 0 0 5 1
X. Johnson 35 4-11 2-5 10-12 6 6 2 20 15
T. McGowens 34 1-10 1-5 2-2 6 3 1 5 7
A. Toney 32 3-6 0-2 3-4 7 1 4 9 6
T. Brown 19 4-4 0-0 1-3 4 0 0 9 11
R. Murphy 31 5-10 3-8 0-0 1 2 1 13 12
O. Ezeakudo 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 0 0 0
G. Drumgoole 12 0-2 0-1 0-0 1 0 1 0 15
TEAM 20-53 7-25 19-27 38 12 9 66 37.7% 28.0% 70.4%
UNC Bright Spots
Garrison Brooks had 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 1 assist.
Armando Bacot had 12 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Brandon Robinson had 12 points and 3 rebounds.
Needs Work
The Tar Heels need to cut down on their turnovers. They have too many unforced or careless turnovers.
UNC needs to do a better job of guarding dribble penetration, the three-point line and playing team defense. Too many times guys are getting wide shots or layups.
The Tar Heels also need to work on their offensive execution. Too often they go through an extended period of time without scoring or taking quality shots.
Final Observations
The Tar Heels lose their fourth straight game and fall to 1-5 in ACC play. This is the first time that North Carolina has been under .500 since the 8-20 season. The Tar Heels are not coming out like a team that has been on a losing streak and that is a major problem.
UNC came out with no effort and energy in this game. For a team that is decimated by injuries and lacks the natural talent to score and defend at a high level, they cannot afford to not bring that extra urgency and energy to each game. Going forward, they need each player to step up and cut down on mistakes if they want to turn things around.