Quick stuff (Cuse game)...

[gary-7]

...and ALWAYS be watching.

Y'all saw the epitome of my opening statement in the 1st half, when Cadeau dropped (what should've been) a highlight dime to JWash off a tight roll, but alas, the big fella had turned his back and arrgh!... oh, well... the good news was, well, pretty much everything else

- this was a potential "trap" game, and the best antidote for those is EFFORT and INTENSITY. It took a couple of minutes (and some reminders from the bench), but once it kicked in, well, Cuse got nothing easy on offense.

- a lot of solid 21.5 (that has become the norm in ACC play) mixed with 24, and threw a possession of 44 that produced a TO and before long Cuse was a frustrated team

- REALLY nice bench contibutions from early on: Withers impacted immediately (especially on the boards) and finished with 10 and 6, Seth was a dog on D, and our man JWash more than held the fort when Mando picked up a second foul. Couple of caveats here moving forward: Seth --- stop with so much of the air-hanging and throw it down, son... and Withers --- don't drive thru traffic from 15 ft.

- RJ with another RJ game and threw in some sneaky interceptions and Cormac was solid across the board on an off shooting night.

- Gotta say, I felt Autry's pain --- they couldn't guard us in Man so they went to the ol' Cuse Zone, and welp... we all know how that goes vs Dean's magic Zone Offense... especially when an elite PG is triggering. Hell, with some crisper interior passing it would've been even uglier for 'em

- Board work, baby! Outrebounded them by 23 and got 19 offensive!... with Ingram jumping in again to join Mando with double-doubles.

- make no mistake, we essentially won this one in the first half, specifically beginning at the 11:35 mark. EC had been subbed out at 14:36 just as we were hitting an early rhythm (please stop that), and we proceeded to bog down with only 4 points in the ensuing 3 minutes. But then EC re-enters at 11:35 igniting a 17-pt eruption in the next 4-and-a-half minutes, culminating with a 26-13 thrashing over the 7:48 until he subbed back out at 3:47 in the half with a 22-pt lead --- game essentially over.

- Finally, here's the point I'm making (pun fully intended): This was a sweet TEAM effort and Eliot didn't put up big numbers, BUT (as my coach buds and I always talk about) he makes everything EASIER for everyone, which is what a great PG does --- the floor is spaced, the ball moves and the passing becomes contagious, and Lordy, the TRANSITION game comes alive. Before Cuse tried to slow tempo, we had 27 transition pts in the first half alone (!), ALL of them with EC at the helm.

Anyway, again, this was set up to be a classic trap game and snapped that bad boy back onto the guys in orange, and we did that by playing defense and (a good bit of) Carolina basketball... and guys, we're still just scraping at the ceiling in that regard. Biscuits...

 

[dtodd4475]

This one was over early. Kept the foot on the gas and made it a laugher, which is perfect after the 3 straight road tilts which were physical affairs. Get the deeper bench some minutes, and the core gets to cheer lead and rest, just what the doctor ordered.

Even before the Cuse reverted to pulling the zone out of the mothballs the spacing and crisp ball movement was excellent by UNC.

No contest in the paint on the glass, able to get 2nd attempts and limit them to 1 look.

They were loose with it. But the dee again was gritty, harassing.

Best sign is Cadeau has seemed to find his comfort zone at this level. Not as rushed or pressing to make plays on both ends. Just getting that natural feel and ballin' out. He is still not confident shooting, but this team has such a higher ceiling with him becoming acclimated to the college game, he brings so much to this roster and it's makeup.

 

[NorCalTarheel]

In addition to the pass to JWash, EC threw a sweet lead to what should have been a player (Woj I think) breaking to a wide open rim. Instead, Woj was (inexplicably) backing towards the corner and Cadeau got hung with a TO.

That young man sees things waaaaay before most on the basketball court!

Cuse got punched in the mouth and folded mid-way through the first half.

 

[HeelMac]

The irony is we have NOT even near reached the ceiling this team has. To some degree UNC is still flying under the radar nationally, and quite frankly I am good with that. This team has grown a ton over the past month or so. Defense is still improving and honestly at times elite, elite. RJ Davis is def. in position for ACC Player of Year and All American IMHO. Something I have noticed that stands out vs. last year: last year we would stand around and wait for Love or Davis to shoot, this team is active and unselfish and it is paying off big tie.

 

[tcb22]

I think the days of flying under the radar are over. We will probably move into the top 5 on Monday. I wish we could continue to stay around 8 or 9 but success brings on the recognition.

 

[tcb22]

BTW, isn't it fun to watch our team this year!!! I think Seth Greenberg said that at half and he usually doesn't like us. JWill is going to get kicked out of the duke brotherhood if he keeps making the comments he is making about our team.

 

[39 Feet Above Sea Level]

HD and staff need to stay on top of these guys and keep them level-headed. No need to get all pomp and circumstance…
not just yet. The coaching has had a tremendous impact on the trajectory of our improvement on both
ends of the floor.
GDTBATH Bad day to be a biscuit maker at Bojangles.

 

[DSouthr]

When I posted my picks on Steat's thread, I began it with a LOL, Quad score for this game and I was already expecting a butt whipping was in the works, I was worried that the Cuse would not be able to score enough to get us to the over! LOL I was not at all impressed or worried about Syracuse before this game and I sure have not changed that opinion, they are fodder, how did they beat Clemson, well yeah I know everyone else is to? LOL

This game was over early, Hubert called the dogs off with a little less than 7mins left in the game. If you are going to playu UNC at the Dean Dome you better come in and shoot like your life depends on it or you gonna have a bad day, Syracuse had a bad day...

Much like the last 3 games that were on the road, this one really got easy by a collective team defense, we actually didn't shoot all that well, we went 27% from 3 and we missed a ton of wide open looks. But the formula was strong defense against a weak jump shooting team. Frankly had Hubert not called off the dogs we may have scored 120+ and may have held them to below 60, guys Konkwo got 8mins. High didn't scratch but he sure wasn't shy of trying, nice way of saying son your trying to prove you can hit those treys is proving why you should not be taking them?

$RJ Davis, interesting thing I have noticed about RJ, once he seems to feel good about his scoring he starts throwing some really pretty assists. Yet another really strong game from RJ, last couple he has seemed to be a touch off, not today! Cadeau, really solid game, in control, don't think he picked up a foul and his game seems to go as his foul count goes. Ingram yet again rock solid, double double, hustle all over the court, kid is just $$$. Ryan, yet again, didn't shoot it well but that kid still works no matter how his shooting goes, under rated for his defense. Seth as has become the norm, comes in and gives us needed scoring but his defense just effects the game out come, it is a lot of little things that are not talked about but they are game changing.

J Boyzs in the house! Withers yet again, each game is better than the last, kid came to play today. Jalen, same, he may not be the strongest guy around but he battled. Yeah, that Cadeau pass looked bad but maybe you don't pass to a guy whose back is to you? LOL Both the J boyz with double digit points and 6 boards! Hey, even konkwo picked up 4 boards in 8mins. Bacot, add another double double to his total.

FINALLY a game where the refs just let the players play and didn't disrupt the game, about time! Bottom line, I think we played our B+ game, could even consider just a B, this team has such a high ceiling and we have not even really scratched that. Just imagine a game where Ryan and Ingram hit their open shots and Jalen gets his confidence up in his turn arounds, Withers hits a jumper or 2, Bacot does Bacot things as RJ as well does? LOL

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

Got rid of the cancer from last year and have much more depth this year.. it's made a huge difference. This team really enjoys each other and play together so well.

 

[Kool1234567]

Man if EC starts hitting that open 3 teams are giving him watch out…You will not be able to guard him..

 

[UNCPJH81]

He hit every shot on his HS highlight reel.

 

[2DDIMOND]

Man if EC starts hitting that open 3 teams are giving him watch out…You will not be able to guard him..

He’s a silent assassin. In his mind he knows he’s better & he’s just figuring out the way he’s going to kick your ass when it counts. We’ve seen the last 2 games, what looks like turning the corner for EC, but I think what we’re going to get in March & April is about 5 fold of what we’re seeing now.

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

You can really tell rebounding has been the biggest emphasis in practice and it's translating in games. That's why we are winning by double digits now.

 

[UNC-75]

He hit every shot on his HS highlight reel.

Makes me think some were cut out of the video

 

[Heelicious]

He’s a silent assassin. In his mind he knows he’s better & he’s just figuring out the way he’s going to kick your ass when it counts. We’ve seen the last 2 games, what looks like turning the corner for EC, but I think what we’re going to get in March & April is about 5 fold of what we’re seeing now.

The biggest thing “EC needs to do to improve on” is everyone else having their heads and hands up and be read for the perfect quick no look even pass being dropped on them. How many more assists would he have if people were ready to catch and finish. They just need to turn up their readiness and awareness to catch the ball at any point when EC has it. They haven’t played with a passer like ec in all the time they’ve been here even bacots and RJs long tenure.

It’s on them to fix that, change. Not ask ec to dial it back as an elite passer.

 

[gary-7]

The biggest thing “EC needs to do to improve on” is everyone else having their heads and hands up and be read for the perfect quick no look even pass being dropped on them. How many more assists would he have if people were ready to catch and finish. They just need to turn up their readiness and awareness to catch the ball at any point when EC has it. They haven’t played with a passer like ec in all the time they’ve been here even bacons and RJs long tenure.

It’s on them to fix that, change. Not ask ec to dial it back as an elite passer.

Thus my opening line: ALWAYS be watching.

I got to watch EC in EYBL --- literally standing next to his team's bench (w/ Jeff Capel right next to me) --- and I can tell you that most of the time he's NOT looking where he's about to pass.... but trust me, he sees friggin everything.... and if you let him he will "pass you open" IYKWIM.

I have never witnessed court vision like his. I think I told y'all about saying out loud "there's no way in hell he saw that" (following a 3/4 court dime over 4 defenders) Well, he did, and he had a cadre of D1 coaches shaking their heads and looking at each other.

So yeah... any time EC has the rock our guys need to assume it might be coming their way. His HS and AAU teammates knew the drill, and they had their heads up and eagerly got to spots where their PG could set them up for highlights.

 

[RP12]

Coach Davis deserves credit for some big adjustments-bench usage and stopping the autoswitches most notably. He also could have overreacted to EC foul struggles by pulling him as a starter which would have been a big setback.

 

[montana_heel]

Worried about shooting moving forward. Be nice to see Ryan get in a groove. Didn't like Cadeau not shooting that one at the top of the key when his guy was inside the free throw line. It ended in a bucket but he is gonna get sagged off of bad if he can't be passable shooting.

Has been fun watching this team grow this year. Just like it used to be. That is the best part for me. Still lots of growth in this team and I am excited to watch it.

 

[gauchoheel]

The irony is we have NOT even near reached the ceiling this team has. To some degree UNC is still flying under the radar nationally, and quite frankly I am good with that. This team has grown a ton over the past month or so. Defense is still improving and honestly at times elite, elite. RJ Davis is def. in position for ACC Player of Year and All American IMHO. Something I have noticed that stands out vs. last year: last year we would stand around and wait for Love or Davis to shoot, this team is active and unselfish and it is paying off big tie.

The upgrade from Love to Cadeau/Trimble is staggering. All due respect to Caleb, but last year wasn't his year. Ball movement, effort, defensive awareness are much better with that change. Same with Ingram compared to Nance. Combined with RJ getting even better and Wash/Withers turning into very capable backups and this team looks great.

If we'd won either the Nova or UK game we'd have a ton of hype right now. As others are saying it's about to start anyway, and we have several more very winnable games in a row. A 16-3 team is going to be all over the press.

 

[39 Feet Above Sea Level]

As much as WE are enjoying the upward trajectory of this team, imagine how excited the players are.
Stay healthy, practice hard, listen to your coaches, and have fun, fellas ⛹🏾‍♂️🏀
And enjoy the Southern Part of Heaven for those of us that can’t always be there.

 

[DSouthr]

Coach Davis deserves credit for some big adjustments-bench usage and stopping the autoswitches most notably. He also could have overreacted to EC foul struggles by pulling him as a starter which would have been a big setback.

You have touched on a MAJOR topic that is not nearly discussed enough! I am watching a dramatic level of development in Hubert Davis as a head coach, don't know exactly what happened within Hubert that drove this amazing turn around within him as a coach but what ever it was MORE PLEASE!

I/we watched Hubert make some of the worst coaching decisions imaginable last season in about every aspect of the game. I spoke many times about those mistakes, I sincerely watched mistakes that I would not expect to see from a middle school coach, much less UNC head coach, it was that bad.

And yet now his decisions seem like future hall of fame level. WE all love to blame last season on Caleb or the lack of a bench, or a lack of talent over all, I don't, I blame the coaching decisions for most of it. WE had the talent, it was not used properly, blame Caleb all you want but bottom line if Caleb was that large a problem then he should have not played as much as he did, play him that many minutes then you endorse what he was doing. But this season decisions, that began well before we brought in a single transfer, have been on the money. I may not agree with some of his decisions still but those decisions do make sense now. It isn't the players we have now vs the ones we had last season but it is more about how the players are being utilized now and the decisions that are being made, just amazing different in a single year. Major kudos to Hubert for such an amazing development in his performance! Imagine if this continues !!!

 

[DSouthr]

Worried about shooting moving forward. Be nice to see Ryan get in a groove. Didn't like Cadeau not shooting that one at the top of the key when his guy was inside the free throw line. It ended in a bucket but he is gonna get sagged off of bad if he can't be passable shooting.

Has been fun watching this team grow this year. Just like it used to be. That is the best part for me. Still lots of growth in this team and I am excited to watch it.

I am not really all that worried about our shooting for 2 what to me are huge reasons. First, I recall last season and how hard we had to work just to get a kinda decent shot, clean open looks by good shooters were hard to come by. It was a lot of pounding the ball but very little ball or player movement, that has sure changed in a short time to now. Now we have multiple open shooters every where and we have known good shooters taking those open shots and frankly making fewer of them than we would expect, in time open shooters will drop them. This is what happens when you have the ball moving in the air and players moving their feet, when you see guys passing up what are not great shots for them looking for the better shot no matter who takes it. Sure helps that we can now go on offense playing 5 on 5 rather than the 3 on 5 we played so much last season.

Offense comes and goes but defense does tend to travel to each game at home or on the road, this team is defending and it is feeding in to our offense, even good shooters that are missing shots are still defending hard, still hitting the boards, still working for position. WE are able to do these things on fresher legs than the opponents because we are now using our bench as a weapon and it is a really effective weapon!

 

[al would]

There were a lot of really good things about this game. EC with some really good D and 0 fouls speaks volumes to his learning curve and bball IQ. Offensively there should no longer be (actually should have never been) any discussion over who should be the PG. Without EC UNC will wilt on the vine quickly. Ingram continues to find ways to contribute .. 10 boards and 3 assist and 11 pts. is decent but it seems he needs to find more opps inside and EC can find him for those short opps in the lane. Never have wavered from my love for Jwash and he continues to improve. 4-5 from the floor in the flow of the game with a couple of steals and even Hubs complimented his defense in post game comments .. and he still has a ton of upside. Same with Withers.

This was a very impressive win on many levels. Attitude out of the gate, never backed off, good defensive .. and offensive movement and they didn't fold when SU made a little run and they looked like they were having fun. GO HEELS !!

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I got to say it!

Like I have said for years, you do not need + 3-point shooters at 1 or 3 to win! You need some shooters no matter who they are, some + heart/hustle, and committed D! Anybody still want to "prove" to me that efficient 2s can't freakin' win???

Dadgum, these sure are some GDTBATH!