On the day of the Orange Bowl, Carolina fans had the unforeseen excitement of a basketball game opposite Notre Dame, a chance to be right after back-to-back losses to NC State and Georgia Tech to start playing ACC. Just in their third game at Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels were eager to shoot in their home gym.
Oof. Being at the Dean Dome didn’t help. Here are 3 things we learned from a cardiac arrest type night in Chapel Hill:
UNC continued its poor shooting this season, while allowing Notre Dame to shoot 13. 5% more on 14 fewer shots. That’s your narrow margin here.
Carolina shot 34. 8% well from the area and specifically from 3 points, a remarkable coincidence. This is a slight improvement over their first-half shooter games (31. 3 / 33. 3%). My friends, shooting so bad with a team like Notre-Dame is very damaging. While the Irish as a whole did not attract attention, the bad guy Nate Laszewski surely killed the Heels with a 9-14 record (7-11 versus 3. 64%) by 25 points. A shooter like that on a team bigger than Notre Dame is sure to pay a premium on defense.
UNC had a rebound margin of +21 (+18 offensive rebounds), a stat that means big margins of victory for the groups under Roy Williams. But too many Carolina possessions resulted in a missed first shot to the basket, followed by a game of volleyball before the Irish got a rebound to start their offense.
Let’s go back to the archives to illustrate this point. In 2012, Carolina beat Duke at Durham 88-70, which flattered Duke when Roy passed them at halftime 48-24. The Heels didn’t throw the ball very well, but they had a typical 55/31% shot distribution overnight. That kind of shot combined with her +20 rebound margin led to a comfortable win.
Carolina can continue to outperform her opponents, as we’ve grown used to seeing over the years, but if they shoot as badly as yesterday, we will be in many halves of worrying moments.
For the time being in the back-to-back game, rookie Day’Ron Sharpe claimed the starting name opposite Garrison Brooks. You cannot dispute the results. Day’Ron was the player of the game, led the Heels in trouble and was within a rebound of Armando Bacot (9-10) for the team’s coach.
Day’Ron still wants some tweaks and refinements. Grope some passes and miss some rabbits. But whether things are going well for the Tar Heels or looking terrible, Day’Ron hesitates. He is a protagonist, a passenger.
Garrison Brooks is firmly rooted in a crisis. Although it fixes this problem, it is comforting to know that Day’Ron is about to gain more minutes and continue his immediate progression. The problem with this progression is that it can speed up your departure from Chapel Hill earlier than expected.
I have made it known that basketball coaches’ resolve to switch to more casual clothing is the right path. I’ve never understood why basketball coaches dressed like Gordon Gekko on Wall Street when they have to stomp in a hot gym, a disgusting locker room, and kiss sweaty players on the bench. That makes sense.
Roy Williams looked so comfortable on the bench in a variety of polo shirts, sweaters, sweater vests, and more. Jordan Brand has done a wonderful job of giving you another exclusive pair of J’s to wear in the game. It is the best for the brand and a recruiting tool.
Flyest in construction #CarolinaFamily pic. twitter. com/7s14LNfYt6
But as an existing resident of Hawaii, I was impressed with Mike Brey’s gaming team:
Mike Brey rocks the shorts.
Pure icon. pic. twitter. com/xbiXyDJC8p
He enjoyed my vibe, with the exception of Under Armor shoes that replaced my Rainbow flip flops (or “slippers” as they are called in Hawaii). I don’t think Roy will ever go that far, however, as hot as he is for Cameron, he does.
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