UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Still Having Offensive Struggles
by Derrick Clyburn
North Carolina head coach Roy Williams directs his team during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in Richmond, Va., Sunday, Dec. 8, 2019. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
The Tar Heels basketball team is showing frustration with the lack of offensive production in the last two games. They are taking tough contested shots and making game much harder than it should be. UNC struggled again today shooting 37% from the field and 7.1% from the 3 point line.
The North Carolina defense held Virginia to 32.7% from the field but they allowed Cavaliers to hit 6 3-pointers to their 1 and 18 free throws to 12. UNC fouled a UVA player 3 times at the end of a shot clock while they were shooting a 3-pointer. Which gave the Cavaliers easy points from the free-throw line.
It was a pleasant surprise to see Armando Bacot on the court after recovering so quickly from an ugly ankle sprain. He was the most consistent player today for the Tar heels scoring 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Game Stats
1 2 T
#7 North Carolina 18 29 47
#5 Virginia 24 32 56
North Carolina
MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST TO PTS
G. Brooks 33 2-5 0-0 2-2 8 2 0 6
A. Bacot 25 5-8 0-0 1-6 2 0 0 11
C. Anthony 35 4-15 1-6 3-6 4 0 6 12
L. Black 22 2-4 0-1 2-2 4 2 2 6
B. Robinson 26 1-4 0-3 0-0 3 1 2 2
W. Miller 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
C. Ellis 1 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 0
B. Huffman 2 0-0 0-0 2-2 0 0 0 2
R. McAdoo 1 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 0 0 1
A. Harris 6 2-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 4
J. Francis 3 0-0 0-0 1-2 1 0 1 1
K.J. Smith 2 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0
C. Keeling 15 0-0 0-0 0-0 3 0 0 0
J. Pierce 17 0-4 0-2 0-0 3 1 1 0
A. Platek 11 1-3 0-1 0-0 2 0 0 2
TEAM 17-46 1-14 12-22 32 6 12 47
37.0% 7.1% 54.5%
Virginia
MIN FG 3PT FT REB AST TO PTS
M. Diakite 28 3-7 1-1 5-5 3 1 6 12
J. Huff 14 0-4 0-1 0-0 5 0 0 0
K. Clark 38 1-8 0-2 5-7 3 6 3 7
C. Morsell 24 2-9 1-5 0-0 2 1 1 5
K. Stattmann 27 3-9 1-4 0-0 2 0 0 7
J. McKoy 17 0-0 0-0 4-6 5 0 0 4
F. Caffaro 21 4-5 0-0 2-5 7 0 0 10
C. Coleman 1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 1 0
T. Woldetensae 30 3-7 3-4 2-2 3 1 1 11
TEAM 16-49 6-17 18-25 37 9 13 56
32.7% 35.3% 72.0%
UNC Bright Spots
Cole Anthony had 12 points and 4 rebounds.
Armando Bacot had 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Needs Work
UNC allowed too many offensive rebounds in the game and need to do a better job of crashing the defensive glass.
The wing players have to be ready to shoot when they come off screens or when the ball swings their way. They are hesitating or taking a dribble before they shoot which allows the defenders to recover.
UNC needs to do a better job of moving the ball to the open man. They had 6 assist for the game and Cole Anthony had zero assists.
Final Observations
This is a tough stretch of basketball for the Tar Heels. They have lost to Ohio St. and Virginia already, and they have Gonzaga and UCLA in the next two weeks.
UNC has to find easier ways to score and it starts with better ball movement with players ready to catch and shoot and pounding the ball inside to Bacot and Brooks.
One bright spot is that freshmen Jeremiah Francis and Anthony Harris got a chance to play for the first time this season after recovering from knee surgery and brought some energy and toughness to the game.
They will be added to the rotation which will give Roy more options moving forward. The Tar Heels need to get healthy so that they will have the full allotment for Roy’s disposal.