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It couldn’t possibly have ended this way.
Not only did we not get the Arizona-Carolina match-up in the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament, the two protagonists of the tale had the worst shooting games of the season and maybe their college careers.
Caleb Love and R.J. Davis, the former three-year backcourt, combined to shoot 9 for 38 and an astounding 0 for 18 from the 3-point line, as their teams lost in upsets to end their seasons and perhaps both of their college careers.
Clemson led for all but a few minutes in proving it is perhaps the best team in the ACC, and if the Tigers win Saturday night will be a deserving participant in Phoenix after their first visit to the regional final in 44 years.
Carolina’s 89-87 loss was almost inexplicable after two halves that could not have been more disparate, leading Alabama by eight points after Davis missed the front end of a one-and-one that he makes almost 90 percent of the time. It could have been an omen, as the Heels looked unprepared for the defensive and offensive changes the Tide rolled out in the second half.
Bama’s long and athletic lineup ramped up its top 100 defense and turned a 53 percent shooting team into one that made a season-low 10 of 40 in the second half. And the early 62 percent 3-point shooters (10 of 16, four by Cormac Ryan) went 2 for 16 with R.J. missing the last six of his 9 whiffs on the night.
The Heels may have become overconfident by their gallant play in the see-saw first half, when they led by 10 points and then fell behind by 5 only to finish the period with an 11-2 run. Their advantage was whittled down and eventually lost as the teams exchanged the lead six times toward the end.
There were key gaffes that can make a difference in such a close game. Besides Davis’ uncharacteristic misfires, Armando Bacot clunked a dunk and Jae’Lyn Withers back-rimmed a long 3-pointer with one minute left when UNC was holding a perilous one-point lead and needed a higher-percentage shot.
The Tide’s Grant Nelson, a lanky transfer from North Dakota State, scored 13 points in the last seven minutes as Bacot and Withers could not stop him around the basket. Bama wound up shooting 48 percent and made 11 of 26 3-pointers compared to UNC’s reversal to hitting 39 percent for the game.
Davis attacked the basket and scored six points in an 8-0 run that gave Carolina its last lead. But the Heels could not stop Bama’s 7-2 run that stole the victory over the final 36 seconds. A sad ending to a great season.
R.J. and AB are already among UNC’s best players ever, with records galore, and they will be remembered for that more than this last loss.
Featured image via Todd Melet
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
It’s a good thing we have players to blame for the loss, but you certainly can’t blame Trimble, the best defensive player Carolina has had in years, nor can you blame Cadeau, the point guard brought in a year early to run the show, both of which knocked down several 3’s early on. Why can’t you blame them, you ask? It’s hard to blame them when they’re not on the court.
I have devoured all the other Tar Heel punidtry and comments about this loss, and have waited…and waited…and waited for Chansky’s last chant. Because, you know, it ain’t over til Chansky chants. This team always had a major malfunction. It was kept under wraps most of the season. The Georgia Tech loss, the Clemson loss, the NCSU loss, all exposed the major malfunction.
I think this year’s team would have been better if the 6 former players had not left, or more accurately, had not been run off.
Trying to bring in old transfer players does not work in the long term history of Tar Heel basketball.
Our tradition is to build from within.
This current team would have been better with Trimble starting.
Now, I suspect, there will be wholesale defections from this team, as players finally realize that the coach does not trust them.
We have a very stubborn coach. It is HIS way, or oblivion. In the second half, he chose oblivion.
dook is your team I believe.
“Now, I suspect…”
I’ve yet to see any complement written by you about the University of North Carolina. Every comment is negative. It’s possible I missed something.
It has been an outstanding year for NC basketball. Period.
This team reminds me of Coach Smith’s teams from back in the day and have been a joy to watch. Kudos to the coaching staff for putting it all together. Godspeed to the guys that are moving on. A good foundation is in place for next year with a great recruiting class coming in. Even so, adding some more shooting and athleticism from the portal would be nice. I hope R J. Davis returns but if not he should be remembered as one of the best. Go Heels!
No comment about Hubert Davis who played Alabamas game when defence was what took them to a higher level. Also, please explain why you yanked your point guard, who led the team all year (despite his flaws). By doing this, Davis altered the teams chemistry and natural rhythm, perhaps resulting in only 23 points of output til the 3:30 mark in the second half. I put this loss on RJ for having a bad shooting night and Hubert for doing a crappy coaching job, esp. in the second half.
Right or wrong, Hubert sat Trimble and Cadeau because Alabama simply backed off of them and clogged up the middle. They couldn’t even drive the paint in that case. By tourney time most everyone has your strength and weakness figured out. Some teams are capable of exploiting those, others are not.
We lost the game by 2 points. Would we have won it with a different combination on the floor? I have no idea, neither do you. I do know that Alabama is a really good team that is playing better defensively than they did earlier in the season. Alabama is now a FF team. We lost by 2 to a FF team. Not exactly a reason to demand explanations from a coach with a bit more skill than you or I possess.
All but one team lose their last game, and every Tar Heel player has ended the season this way in the past. Every so often we get to the final game and win.
It’s been a great year, with a coaching staff that not only love the game, they love the university. We have exceptional young men playing for North Carolina.
It saddens me that so many cannot find enjoyment in this game, in this team, in this university at a time when so many college programs are in turmoil, and ours just continues to click right along.
Thanks to the coaches and all the student athletes that make the University of North Carolina such a special place.