...and we showed character and got past a bit of a stench (more on that below).

This had the makings of a "trap" game --- cold afternoon start on the road, opponent who plays slow bumper-pool offense, etc.. and they got some help in their approach --- so... glad we closed it out. Here's some stuff, bad and good:

- It was apparent as to their tactic of pounding on RJ and Mando, especially denying RJ's 3 looks. Cormac had ample ops to compensate for that but got off to a very cold shooting start.

- That, and other misfires (e.g., blown 2-on-1 by a bad pass from Ingram) kept us from ever getting a working lead. Well, those and calls (or lack thereof).

- We too often got caught in the up/down switch mismatches we've been avoiding recently (adjusted some in the second half), and after some early solid team D, I was really disappointed in our missed defensive rotations in the second half. Too many of their guys got to the rim on sound forces but no help arriving

- Phantom foul trouble got us using 11 guys today, and it sure is nice to have that luxury, with mostly solid contributions off the bench. Seth's floater and Withers offensive board were big in closing out the game. And good on Oko for comporting himself well in a "physical' game

- Cormac overcame a non-confident start and RJ fought thru BC;s attempted smothering, but the zebras would never let Mando get started. Good work on the boards again by Ingram, but GOT to finish thru contact!

- Moments --- Late first half, EC snaps a no-look 3/4 dime and just when they moved the camera, Cormac comes into view running a post pattern. Folks, THAT is what happens when you run the floor expecting the pass. And oh, that SlCK last-second ankle-breaker-and-oop to end the first half? THAT is case-in-point why EC needs to have the rock in those situations.

- Finally, there was pregame chatter on the interwebs concerning the surprisingly low point spread for this one. While there were some legit reasons (that I mentioned in the intro), I gotta say I didn't like the "smell" of some things I saw today --- in particular from one Jerry Heater --- and I'll leave it at that. With that said, kudos to our guys for stepping up and making enough plays to get us to a scrappy 10-pt margin.

Anyway, so... we survived a trap of our own making Weds, and a genuine road trap today. That's the mark of a championship team, after all. And make no mistake --- Monday will be an important showdown. Wake has gotten way better than they started the season, and wouldntyaknow, the guy who lit us up last season (Monsanto) is coming back for this one. Time to refocus and protect Dean's house with guns-a-blazing!...

It's always great when the dookies lose!

I saw that John did the State-VaTech game. Did anyone watch and know how he did?

Discussion
UNC faced another ACC level team and found itself in a tighter one than expected. The Heels scored 0.96 pts/poss on 45% shooting from the field. The Heels were incredibly sloppy in the first half, turning if over on almost 1/4 of their possessions. They cleaned up their act in the second half, and got that ratio down to 14% for the game.

Point guard is coming along, offensively. It was good to see Cadeau look to penetrated more, but also good to see the team get an assist on 60% of their made baskets.

Defensively, it was another weak outing. Despite shooting 35% from the field, BC was able to score 0.93 pts/possession. Why is that? They got to the FT line a lot, made thier free shots, and only turned it over on 6% of their possessions (mostly in the first half). In the last 1009 games, UNC has only had opponent play cleaner in 10 games. Defensive guard pressure is still basically non-existent with this team.

It was yet another outing where the opponent couldn't throw the ball in the ocean. On mostly open 3s, BC shot an absysmal 18%. Only 71 opponents of the last 1009 have shot worse.

The pace of this game was slow again, with only 150 total possessions. We really need to push tempo better, and attempt to score before the defense gets set.

UNC rebounded well, giving the Heels the ball 8 more times than BC. This was a real key to the game.

Next up is Wake Forest, @FSU, @ GT, and Duke, probably the toughest 4-game stretch remaining on the schedule.

After a crazy long trip to get here - two cancelled flights, three depays, I landed after 1 AM last night. But the good thing is game time came quickly after arriving.

I am here solo today.

And he got more minutes than Washington today? What the hell happened this week at practice?

I have been a big RJ fan starting back when he was in high school participating in the Peach Jam. The following is a YouTube clip when RJ was participating in Steph Curry's tournament. Note Steph Curry's reaction on RJ's crossover at the 11-second mark on this video. There is a different angle of the same shot around the 1:08 mark. The kid was destined to be a good college player.

Login to view embedded media

Kansas just got beat so we should move up to number 3. I so enjoy watching this team as they learn to play with each other, more and more each week.im so excited to see what we are going to be as a finished product. Go Heels 💙 👣 🏀 🐏