There were positives aplenty to take away from UNC’s semifinal loss to No. 6 Purdue Saturday night. The Tar Heels gave the Boilermakers, a bona fide Final Four contender, their best shot in what turned out to be a thrilling contest.
Sunday’s consolation game, though, was a different story entirely.
None of the energy which pulsated through Carolina’s play against Purdue was evident against the Volunteers, and Tennessee took control early and pulled away in the second half in an 89-72 win over the Tar Heels.
Defense once again proved to be a problem for UNC, as the Volunteers picked their way to the basket with pick-and-roll action all afternoon. The box scores display how wide the gap was between the two teams: Tennessee shot 55.1 percent, compared to just 38.9 percent for Carolina, and out-assisted the Tar Heels 28-9.
“Everything needs to change,” head coach Hubert Davis said of his defense.
The Tar Heels trailed by just seven points at halftime, but the Volunteers quickly expanded that lead to double digits early in the second period and never looked back. Freshman guard Zakai Zeigler, listed at just five-feet, nine-inches, torched the UNC defense for 18 points on 7-10 shooting off the bench.
“We came out flat,” junior forward Armando Bacot said. “I’ve got to do a better job as a leader.”
Graduate transfer Brady Manek led all players in the game with 24 points. His three-point shooting was one of the only things that went well for the Tar Heels in the loss: he drained six of his 10 tries from downtown. Bacot contributed 16 points on an efficient 6-9 shooting, but outside of Manek and Bacot, the Tar Heels shot just 9-34. Their 22-55 overall showing is a season-low shooting percentage, and marks the second consecutive game in which Carolina shot under 50 percent. They had eclipsed the 50 percent mark in their first three games of the season.
Leaky Black returned to Davis’ starting lineup after missing Saturday’s game against Purdue with a non-COVID-related illness. With Black back in action, sophomore transfer Justin McKoy didn’t see any game action, though freshman Dontrez Styles made a brief appearance. D’Marco Dunn still hasn’t played a single minute since the season-opening win against Loyola.
The Tar Heels will have just two days before their next game, a Tuesday matchup with UNC-Asheville in the Smith Center. As far as what needs to improve for Carolina to not lose their third consecutive contest, Davis said just one word:
“Effort.”
Featured image via Associated Press/Jessica Hill
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