Looks like the Tar Heels may have to do it the hard way.
Anyone who watched Carolina’s two basketball games so far must admit the first three halves were not exactly what we expected. The Heels may have made up for it with their 59-point, 71 percent second half against College of Charleston, but we’ll have to see if the slow starts continue.
My guess is Hubert Davis tore the paint off the walls at halftime of the Charleston game Friday night. He had said the first game against UNC-Wilmington taught his top-ranked team, or should have, what level of intensity the players needed to bring every night.
There are two more supposedly sure home wins coming up against Gardner-Webb and James Madison this week before the Thanksgiving and December schedule arrives full of Power 5 opponents who will be aiming for the collective target on UNC’s back.
A few early observations that may play into that adjustment.
Pete Nance is the solid fifth starter, averaging 33 minutes, 6.5 points, 2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2 blocked shots. He will block more shots and rebound better than Brady Manek but not be the same kind of 3-pointer shooter that drew defenders away from the basket. That, in turn, will make Armando Bacot’s life tighter in the paint, where he is averaging 22 points but is yet to have a double-double after being a machine last season.
Davis has played the same nine men in the first two games, with sophomores Dontrez Styles and D’Marco Dunn the first front court and backcourt subs, followed by freshman backups, point guard Seth Trimble and swing forward Tyler Nickel.
Styles played in 30 games as a frosh, averaging 2.6 points, but has only taken and missed one shot so far this season. Dunn, who looks to have proven reports of his off-season improvement true, has played three times the minutes of Styles so far and is averaging 3 points.
Nickel isn’t that quick but plays hard and can guard both in the paint and on the perimeter. He has the only 3-pointer among the reserves. Trimble is built like and reminds old-timers of King Rice, not a great shooter, but a tough-as-nails defender with end-to-end quickness.
Super senior Leaky Black has shown continued improvement on the offensive end, hitting all eight of his shots against Charleston, including a pair of corner three balls. Bacot is the leading scorer with a 22-point average and Caleb Love is next at 21. Love and R.J. Davis have missed 12 of their 16 3-pointers, which must improve.
Carolina is obviously not going to shoot 70 percent in many halves, but the late blitz over a good Charleston team shows they might have gotten Hubert’s message and needs to blow out inferior teams earlier in games.
Featured image via Associated Press/Chris Seward
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