UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC vs. SMU 82-67 Win

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Attacks the SMU Mustangs Early and Often and Cruise to Victory

by Derrick Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team faced off against SMU on Tuesday night. The Tar Heels came out fast with energy and effort causing havoc on defense and attacking on offense. SMU came to Chapel Hill with great size at all positions including 7’2 Samet Yigitoglu but North Carolina was scrappy and double-teamed the post with great help-side defense. The Mustangs started the game out in a 1-3-1 defense trying to contain RJ Davis and Ian Jackson but UNC moved the ball and attacked the gaps of the zone hitting several baskets including three 3-pointers by Drake Powell.

SMU had to come out of that zone because UNC was getting easy buckets and they went man-to-man for the rest of the half. The story of the night was the Tar Heels’ defense. They were able to control the game using their speed and quickness. It bothered the Mustangs all night. Drake Powell led the Heels with 14 points in the first half which helped North Carolina build a 39-24 half-time lead.

In the second half, the Tar Heels slacked up on defense for a few possessions, allowing the Mustangs to cut the lead to 11 points, which was the closest they would get for the remainder of the game. North Carolina would ratchet back up the defense and move the ball to the open man on offense with both RJ Davis and Ian Jackson scoring 16 points respectively.

North Carolina would hold the SMU Mustangs to 33% shooting from the field and 22% from the 3-point line. SMU came into this game as the #1 scoring team in the ACC but the Tar Heels held them to 67 points for the game. RJ Davis would lead all scoring with 26 points and 5 rebounds.

UNC Game Stats

Final

	1	2	T
SMU	24	43	67
UNC	39	43	82

UNC Bright Spots  

RJ Davis had 26 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. 

Ian Jackson had 18 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. 

Drake Powell had 17 points 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. 

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.  

Final Observations 

North Carolina improved to 10-6 on the season. The Tar Heels played one of their best games of the season. The first 30 minutes was top-notch basketball on both ends of the floor. SMU is the tallest team that the Heels have faced and they showed toughness and grit fighting for loose balls, crashing the boards, and shooting the passing lanes. Even though Jalen Washington didn’t score a point he played strong physical defense blocking 4 shots and altering several others.

Coach Davis and the staff need to keep helping this team build chemistry and play for each other developing more consistency. The freshmen duo of Ian Jackson and Drake Powell continue to impact this team on both ends of the floor. The Tar Heels seem to be finding their identity and how they need to play and compete. If they play with defensive intensity and can hit open shots like they did tonight that will bode well for their success for the rest of the season. Next up is NC State on Saturday at 4 PM on ACCN.