Hubert Davis used his lineup exactly as we thought.
As the regular season gets under way tonight against Loyola of Maryland, we’re still a week from getting a real feel for how the 2021-22 Tar Heels will look against stiffer competition.
Davis started sophomore Dawson Garcia at power-spread forward against Elizabeth City State, and the Marquette transfer hit his first two corner jumpers. But looking at how the time will eventually be distributed, that opening lineup shouldn’t be taken too literally.
The top nine in the rotation played double-digit minutes and the tenth man was split between freshmen Dontrez Styles and D’Marco Dunn, who got six minutes each with the 6-6 Styles from basketball hotbed Kinston having the better stats in his short stint.
Armando Bacot, Brady Manek and Garcia all played about the same amount, combining to shoot 16-for-27, a very good sign.
Sophomore starters Caleb Love and RJ Davis got the most minutes as co-point guards, each handing out 5 assists but Davis shooting better. The third backcourt starter, Kerwin Walton, missed 4 of his 5 shots and wound up basically splitting time with senior Leaky Black.
The important team stats to note was 43 percent shooting from the floor, 39 percent from the 3-point arc and 80 percent at the foul line, all numbers which must continue to improve if the Tar Heels are to have a balanced attack capable of torching defenses. We shall see as the competition gets stiffer next week.
Following another home game vs. Brown Friday night, three opponents will provide the first honest indication of where Hubert’s team stands. A true road test at College of Charleston, where the Tar Heels have lost before, then the Hall of Fame Tip-off that features four ranked teams and Carolina the lowest at No. 19.
No. 7 Purdue will be among the toughest opponents on the entire schedule. The big and well-coached Boilermakers are co-favorites in the Big Ten with Michigan (also a UNC opponent on December 1). The Heels will then face either Tennessee (17) or Villanova (4).
So don’t count on how much the individual Tar Heels play before the ACC slate starts, more how well they play. That will determine their movement in a pretty even rotation as the season progresses.
Featured image via Todd Melet.
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