UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team on a Two-Game Losing Streak

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

After a disappointing loss to Virginia Tech on Monday, The Tar Heels suffered another one today against NC State. In the beginning of the game, Carolina came out with a lot of energy and was firing on all cylinders. NC State would then go on a run and catch fire from the three-point line. However, the Heels would weather the storm and go into halftime with a three-point lead. In the second half, the Tar Heels would extend their lead led by Theo Pinson’s 16 second-half points, but were unable to put away the Wolfpack. The Wolfpack would continue their three-point barrage in the second half, finishing the game with 15 threes, as the Heels were unable to guard the three-point line. The combination of NC State’s three-point shooting and the Heels’ lack of defense and execution on offense at the end of regulation caused NC State to keep the game close down the stretch and force overtime. In overtime, Carolina went cold on the offensive end but still had a chance to win at the end. NC state executed better in the closing minutes forcing UNC to take bad shots and were able to capitalize on the Tar Heels’ mistakes, resulting in a win for the Wolfpack.

UNC Game Stats

North Carolina

Box Score       FG      3PT     FT     REB    AST    STL     BLK    TO       PF       PTS

1. Pinson              10-16   0-1     2-4      15        1          1           1          4          4          22
2. Maye                 12-23  3-6     4-8      12        2          0          3          1          3          31
3. Berry II              3-12    0-3      0-1      3          4          0          3          3          2          6
4. Johnson            5-9     0-4      2-2      2          6          1          0          3          3          12
5. Williams            2-4    0-2      0-0      4          4          1          0          0          2          4
6. Brooks              3-3    0-0      2-3       1           1          1          0          0          2          8
7. Manley              0-0    0-0      1-2      0          0          1          0          3          1          1
8. Platek               2-2     1-1      0-0      3           1          0          0          0          1          5
9. Felton               1-2     0-1      0-0      1           1          0          0          0          0          2
10. Robinson       0-1     0-1      0-0      0          0          0          0          0          0          0

TEAM             38-72  4-19    11-20  48        20        5          7          14        18        91

52.8% 21.1% 55.0%

NC State

Box Score     FG    3PT     FT       REB    AST    STL    BLK    TO       PF       PTS

1. Abu                0-3     0-1      0-0      2          0          0          0          0          1          0
2. Yurtseven   8-16  0-1      0-1      13        0           1          1          0          4          16
3. Dorn              8-15  4-7      0-1      4          3          2          1          3          2          20
4. Johnson      7-15   2-5      4-4      5          11        1          0          3          1          20
5. Beverly       3-11    2-7      2-3      1           1          2          0          0          3          10
6. Freeman    0-2     0-0      0-0      0          1          0          0          1          2          0
7. Freeman    8-11   7-7      6-9      5          1          0          0          1          2          29
8. Hunt            0-1    0-1      0-0      0          0          0          0          0          0          0
9. Batts Jr.     0-2    0-1      0-0      0          3          0          0          1          3          0

 

TEAM             34-76  15-30  12-18  34        20        6          2          9          18        95

44.7% 50.0% 66.7%

 

UNC Bright Spots

Theo Pinson played his best game of the season with 22 points 15 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block

Luke Maye had 31 points, 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 assists.

Cameron Johnson had 12 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, and 1 steal.

Needs Work

The Tar Heels need to improve on all aspects of the defensive end especially their three-point defense because it’s starting to become a major issue. They need to work on their execution down the stretch of games and work on putting teams away when they have a chance to. UNC also needs to shoot better from free throw line as they only shot 55 % from the free throw line today.

Final Observations

The losses are starting to pile up for the Heels so they need to find out what the problem is and fix it. Kenny Williams has been struggling lately offensively and needs to give UNC more of a boost at that end of the floor. If the Heels are going to be an elite basketball team, they need to get better on the defensive end and do a better job of finishing games especially the games they should be winning.