A tough first loss to watch – and to endure.
What was worse in the first half, seeing the 14th-ranked Tar Heels stumble again against No. 17 Texas in the finals of the Asheville/Maui Classic or listening to Bill Walton as the remote analyst from his tiki hut in San Diego?
Full disclosure. I also have one earbud tuned to the Tar Heels Sports Network, but the radio delay has Jones Angell describing what we’ve already seen. So, in real time, we get a former great player and worst-prepared color man on TV, who asks silly hoops questions that he can’t even answer.
And when the Tar Heels lose a five-point lead and are behind by 12 at the break after the Longhorns’ 30-13 run, Walton sounds even worse. Calling Hubert Davis Hubert Brooks and knowing more about Jerry Garcia while the Heels were looking like the ungrateful dead is a bad combination, IMO.
This was UT’s fifth straight win over UNC and the eighth in nine games of the Roy Williams era. About half of those games were close, as was this one after a nice comeback in the second half, but the ‘Horns are still proving to be Carolina’s Kryptonite.
And Texas coach Shaka Smart growing hair for the first time in his head-coaching career didn’t help us much.
Yes, it’s a young 3-1 team that will improve, but frankly parts of its game got worse as the week went on. The Heels shot less than 45 percent in all three games, and their 3-point and free throw percentages went down each day. They shot 1 of 10 from the arc Wednesday and missed three critical FTs in the last 6-plus minutes, when the game was very tight.
The highly touted freshmen guards had their worst combined game. Together, Caleb Love and R.J. Davis shot 5-for-23 and 0-for-6 from the 3-point line, plus committing half of the team’s 14 turnovers. The Heels played hard and much better in the second half, but lost on a buzzer-beater for the second time in the last three games to Texas.
Carolina dominated the backboards, as it should with four quality big men, but needs more consistent scoring and passing (5 total assists) from the perimeter to beat the opponents on the way. With Elon likely lost to COVID, the next three games are trips to 3rd-ranked Iowa, No. 23 Ohio State and N.C. State to open ACC play.
At least a wasted Walton won’t be seen or heard.
Photo via the Maui Invitational.
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
