UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC VS Stanford 72-71 Loss

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Fails to Close Out the Game Against the Stanford Cardinals and Loses on a Last-Second Shot

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team was looking to extend their winning streak to six as they faced off against Stanford on Saturday afternoon. The Tar Heels came into this game 13-0 against the Cardinals all time. It was an evenly matched contest between the two squads in the first half. Both teams shot 44% from the field and made 13 of their 29 field goal attempts. During their win streak, UNC has picked up their defensive pressure and intensity earlier in games, resulting in low scoring inefficient first halves for their opponents. To start this game, it was the total opposite. Carolina allowed Stanford to get too comfortable offensively and didn’t disrupt or make it difficult enough on the Cardinals’ best two offensive players Maxime Raynaud and Jaylen Blakes, who both scored in double figures before halftime. Offensively, the Tar Heels had success when they were getting downhill attacking the basket, scoring in the paint and on the fastbreak. The Heels’ struggles defensively and empty offensive possessions kept the game close and caused them to only have a one-point lead going into intermission. 

In the second half, North Carolina continued to allow Stanford to hang around even though they were the better team. The Tar Heels had too many self-inflicted mistakes and errors on both ends of the floor that kept them from extending their lead. On defense, Carolina did not communicate well, had issues navigating screens, and closing out on shooters, which led to wide-open shots and easy layups. Offensively, the Heels allowed 7-1 Maxime Raynaud’s presence to force them to settle for jump shots, rush their shots at the rim, and cause them to overthink instead of keeping the game simple. UNC had the most success when they were attacking the basket with force and moving the ball to the open man. Carolina just didn’t do those things consistently on their offensive possessions and couldn’t get enough stops defensively. This would cause a close game down the stretch. North Carolina needed to execute better in the closing minutes if they were going to win this game.

On two separate important offensive possessions, UNC guards RJ Davis and Elliott both settled for contested jump shots over Stanford 7-1 Maxime Raynaud when the Heels needed baskets. On another possession, RJ Davis had an unforced turnover that cost Carolina a chance to take the lead. Those are just possessions North Carolina couldn’t afford in a close game. Meanwhile, Stanford players Maxime Raynaud, Ryan Argawayl, and Jaylen Blakes all made critical shots in the clutch for the Cardinals. After some critical mistakes by the Tar Heels on previous possessions, UNC guard Seth Trimble stepped up big late for the Tar Heels on two separate plays, making a layup with just over a minute left to give them a one-point lead and drawing a foul and converting his two free throws to give the Heels another one-point lead with seven seconds left. Stanford received the ball for the game’s final possession and Stanford guard Jaylen Blakes drove the ball the length of the floor before making a step-back mid-range shot near the baseline to ultimately give Stanford the win over the Tar Heels. 

UNC Game Stats

Final

	1	2	T
STAN	35	37	72
UNC	36	35	71

UNC Bright Spots  

RJ Davis had 19 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. 

Ven Allen Lubin had 13 points and 5 rebounds. 

Elliott Cadeau had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. 

Needs Work  

The Tar Heels must start games with a higher level of intensity, energy, and effort on both ends of the floor and sustain it 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 and his staff must do a better job of making in-game adjustments. They need to be better at making adjustments on the fly. They must be more involved in the game holding players accountable. There are just too many defensive lapses, bad shots, and questionable decisions with the ball occurring on the floor especially late in games. Coach Davis needs to make sure he puts his team in a better position to execute better in close games, whether that means changing up the defense, having the right lineups on the floor, or calling the right offensive sets. They have no business losing to teams they are better than, and a lot of the blame has to fall on the coaching staff.  

Defensively, this team needs to be much better on the perimeter with their on-ball defense, defending the three-point line, closing out on shooters, 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 

The Tar Heels fall to 12-7 on the season. They had no business losing to Stanford. The Tar Heels were the better team but failed to execute in the game’s final minutes and practically beat themselves. The shot selection was poor, and the defensive possessions late were horrendous. Coach Hubert Davis and his coaching staff must communicate better to his players how much every possession matters and put his players in a better position to exploit mismatches and the opponent’s weaknesses.

In this game, Stanford had no answers for the Heels when they were attacking the basket and getting into the paint. Yet, instead of continuing to consistently drive and get downhill on every offensive possession, Carolina chose to settle for contested jump shots and not be aggressive when they were around the rim. That’s on the players and the coaches. If they want to reach their potential as a team, they cannot afford to make those mistakes. The Tar Heels have to learn to be more consistent and lean on their strengths for 40 minutes. Teams cannot stop them when they lock in defensively, get consecutive stops, and get out in transition. It fuels their offense and allows them to play at the fastest pace where they are at their absolute best.

Offensively, the Tar Heels have multiple players that can get downhill and effectively attack the basket. They must lean on that and force teams to stop and key on that to open up the rest of the offense. They have shown the ability to do that in their previous games and on their winning streak but got away from it today. If Carolina wants to go to the next level as a team, their consistency with their effort, intensity, energy, and execution on both ends of the floor to establish what they do best on the court. This will be critical for their success going forward. Next up is Wake Forest on Tuesday, January 21 at 9:00 P.M. on ESPN.