Quick stuff (Radford game)...

[gary-7]

...and let's get started by saying how cool it was to see the Davis #24 shirts. RIP, Sweet D.

Radford is a very solid and experienced team that won 21 games last season and made a run in the CBI tourney and has a former 5* transfer. They're the sort of team our last team could've easily lost to, so... perfect opponent to start the season and expose some things. They did. More on that below...

First some notes:
- We played straight 21.5 throughout with only one possession of 24. A bit disappointing.but I'll reserve judgment til later on.

- Was good to see everyone healthy for the opener, and again, we are legit DEEP. On that note, is anyone still questioning the commitment to playing a lotta guys? Everyone on scholarship except Lebo saw the floor, with 9 guys getting double-digit minutes.

- First real game look at Withers was intriguing. He moves his feet well on D for his size and has loing arms and is even able to participate in our full-switch perimeter scheme.

- Sorry, but I'm still SMH at anyone "underwhelmed" by Washington. Even without flashing his perimeter game tonight, he was again highly effective.

- The transfer who benefits most from Carolina basketball is Ryan, He fits so much better off-ball and being a motion guy than he did at ND. Good off the catch. With that said, he should NOT shoot when he's off-balance, He's just not that guy.

- one thing I've heard out of practice is that Cadeau doesn't make the same mistake twice. Not surprising with that basketball IQ. No hints of foul trouble tonight and much sounder footwork on D. And just wow at that vision. Speaking of that, we still have some guys needing to keep their eyes open anytime he has the rock.

- On that note, EC and RJ need more minutes together asap.

- With all that said, this game exposed some things that need correcting. We started off scoring 12 points on set plays. That's all well and good, but it's fool's gold. This is the second time we've seen it already. We're coming out of the gate as a half-court team and that gets overlooked when we happen to make shots, but even then, we played right into Radford''s hands --- they thrive in a half-court game with crafty (and one dirty) little Guards, so yep, they stayed right with us despite our excellent early shooting.

- When we pushed TEMPO we got our margins and it took them out of their offensive game to boot, but that was NOT consistent. Guys, we only scored 20 points in transition and that dog ain't gonna hunt. In reality, the advantage that mitigated that bad number was that they just couldn't do anything with Mando and our other Bigs (kudos to our spacing and ball-movement that enables that, BTW).

- Finally, look, there's a lot to like about this roster and making last season's dribble-dribble-heave offense just a bad memory. HOWEVER... and some may not like this, but we saw it in the exhibition and we saw it here --- with RJ at point we're still too much of a half-court team -- which defeats the purpose and advantage of our depth. We should be running at people in waves --- with the key word being running. And to do that we need to set the tone from the tip. Bottom line is, if this tantalyzing team is to be all it can be, then EC needs to start, and the sooner the better.

Anyway, I told a buddy that I couldn't have lived thru having to watch last season's brand of basketball again --- that was SOOOO painful --- so hallelujah for our return to Carolina basketball. Now... let's unleash the machine and wreak some havoc....

 

[alabamaheel]

I just got done watching the recording and must say that I love Ingrams game. Plays smart and under control. Ryan was great on d. None of the guys seem to hurt us, which is a plus for sure. Elliot’s a freshman and it showed at times. That’s ok, he’ll have some growing pains, but man he can go. I love how he attacks and almost plays vindictive. Great vision we’ve been missing. Love the large rotation and seems like we have several guys who could step up when others may not be on their a game.
It was also great to see Bacot get some one on one matchups from guys not being able to leave our shooters open.

 

[TarHeelFanWV]

Yeah, our pace started off really fast and I was really impressed.. then it seemed like we went back to last year with our half court offense and sloppy turnovers..

 

[gauchoheel]

I'm still a bit worried about this team, but I'd say they played about like I expected.

I think the right way to think about it is they're very deep at guard and big, but thin on the wing. We have only 11 real scholarship players and 4 of them (Bacot, Wash, High, Okonkwo) are basically true bigs. We have only 4 total (Ingram, Ryan, Wojcik, Withers) guys playable on the wing and three of them start. We had to have our starter (Paxson) on the floor in the last minute because there was no other scholly guy to play. Hopefully we don't have injuries there.

At the big spot, Bacot and Wash were dominant inside, but then Radford's bigs were pretty soft. I'll hand it to Bacot though, he looked great offensively. Quicker with the ball. I was hoping to see a bit more from High after the exhibition.

Cadeau looked great offensively with his passing (less so shooting), but was getting beat a lot on D. Not sure how that's going to work with RJ against high end guards; someone has to defend the ball. Trimble looked even better than last year at defending the point of attack, but then we do need him to show some skill offensively to be playable in more situations.

 

[39 Feet Above Sea Level]

Carolina basketball as we know it was back on display and l am thankful for that.
Elliot needs to start. He won’t be a Tar Heel for long, so give him the keys, give him the minutes,
put the ball in his hands. ⛹🏾‍♂️ His skill set is exactly what this team needs. He breaks down a defense and uses
his vision to involve his teammates which up tempos the offense and benefits everyone.

 

[FlaTarHeel]

- We played straight 21.5 throughout with only one possession of 24. A bit disappointing.but I'll reserve judgment til later on.

- one thing I've heard out of practice is that Cadeau doesn't make the same mistake twice. Not surprising with that basketball IQ. No hints of foul trouble tonight and much sounder footwork on D.

- On that note, EC and RJ need more minutes together asap.

-- with RJ at point we're still too much of a half-court team -- which defeats the purpose and advantage of our depth. We should be running at people in waves --- with the key word being running. And to do that we need to set the tone from the tip. Bottom line is, if this tantalyzing team is to be all it can be, then EC needs to start, and the sooner the better.

1. We should be PRESSURE and RUN. PRESSURE and RUN. Period!
2. EC will be a dog on defense, at it will be sooner than people realize.
3. EC should be starting by Game 5. Period!
4. See #1

 

[Rabidfrog]

I liked some flashes of what I saw, but we are prob further away from what we will be than I thought? Like our current level isn’t as far along as I was hoping for, but the flashes show we can get there and it is GAME 1.

Controversy time…
RJ: very clearly we have some new emphasis this year. The first 5-7 minutes he was in synch with the rest of the team. He was pushing pace… moving the ball without dribbling… he even stopped and popped a floater rather than driving too deep into the paint, he dropped off a pass to Bacot for a dunk…

…Then he went back to old habits. Walking the ball up, dribbling and missing Bacot inside sooooo maaaanny times (he cannot throw a entry pass to save his life), and he had several “drive too deep and flop on the ground like you have been hit with a bat as you hurl up a missed layup”

He is such a good player my heart wants him on the court… last night we played better as a team without him in the game.

Now, I think to be our best this season we need him playing well and involved. Without him our ceiling isn’t as high
But… he will put a cap on our potential if he keeps bringing some toxic habits from last year into this new team.

 

[HoopsCoach42]

...and let's get started by saying how cool it was to see the Davis #24 shirts. RIP, Sweet D.

Radford is a very solid and experienced team that won 21 games last season and made a run in the CBI tourney and has a former 5* transfer. They're the sort of team our last team could've easily lost to, so... perfect opponent to start the season and expose some things. They did. More on that below...

First some notes:
- We played straight 21.5 throughout with only one possession of 24. A bit disappointing.but I'll reserve judgment til later on.

- Was good to see everyone healthy for the opener, and again, we are legit DEEP. On that note, is anyone still questioning the commitment to playing a lotta guys? Everyone on scholarship except Lebo saw the floor, with 9 guys getting double-digit minutes.

- First real game look at Withers was intriguing. He moves his feet well on D for his size and has loing arms and is even able to participate in our full-switch perimeter scheme.

- Sorry, but I'm still SMH at anyone "underwhelmed" by Washington. Even without flashing his perimeter game tonight, he was again highly effective.

- The transfer who benefits most from Carolina basketball is Ryan, He fits so much better off-ball and being a motion guy than he did at ND. Good off the catch. With that said, he should NOT shoot when he's off-balance, He's just not that guy.

- one thing I've heard out of practice is that Cadeau doesn't make the same mistake twice. Not surprising with that basketball IQ. No hints of foul trouble tonight and much sounder footwork on D. And just wow at that vision. Speaking of that, we still have some guys needing to keep their eyes open anytime he has the rock.

- On that note, EC and RJ need more minutes together asap.

- With all that said, this game exposed some things that need correcting. We started off scoring 12 points on set plays. That's all well and good, but it's fool's gold. This is the second time we've seen it already. We're coming out of the gate as a half-court team and that gets overlooked when we happen to make shots, but even then, we played right into Radford''s hands --- they thrive in a half-court game with crafty (and one dirty) little Guards, so yep, they stayed right with us despite our excellent early shooting.

- When we pushed TEMPO we got our margins and it took them out of their offensive game to boot, but that was NOT consistent. Guys, we only scored 20 points in transition and that dog ain't gonna hunt. In reality, the advantage that mitigated that bad number was that they just couldn't do anything with Mando and our other Bigs (kudos to our spacing and ball-movement that enables that, BTW).

- Finally, look, there's a lot to like about this roster and making last season's dribble-dribble-heave offense just a bad memory. HOWEVER... and some may not like this, but we saw it in the exhibition and we saw it here --- with RJ at point we're still too much of a half-court team -- which defeats the purpose and advantage of our depth. We should be running at people in waves --- with the key word being running. And to do that we need to set the tone from the tip. Bottom line is, if this tantalyzing team is to be all it can be, then EC needs to start, and the sooner the better.

Anyway, I told a buddy that I couldn't have lived thru having to watch last season's brand of basketball again --- that was SOOOO painful --- so hallelujah for our return to Carolina basketball. Now... let's unleash the machine and wreak some havoc....

The things I've seen with EC defensively is that he's almost recklessly aggressive. He get's very handsy and physical, and forgets his feet. There's no doubt he's quick enough to keep guys in front of him. He just has to trust his feet. I too would like to see him and RJ out there together more. RJ and Cormac locked and loaded to shoot with EC delivering the rock to them would be lethal!

 

[HoopsCoach42]

...and let's get started by saying how cool it was to see the Davis #24 shirts. RIP, Sweet D.

Radford is a very solid and experienced team that won 21 games last season and made a run in the CBI tourney and has a former 5* transfer. They're the sort of team our last team could've easily lost to, so... perfect opponent to start the season and expose some things. They did. More on that below...

First some notes:
- We played straight 21.5 throughout with only one possession of 24. A bit disappointing.but I'll reserve judgment til later on.

- Was good to see everyone healthy for the opener, and again, we are legit DEEP. On that note, is anyone still questioning the commitment to playing a lotta guys? Everyone on scholarship except Lebo saw the floor, with 9 guys getting double-digit minutes.

- First real game look at Withers was intriguing. He moves his feet well on D for his size and has loing arms and is even able to participate in our full-switch perimeter scheme.

- Sorry, but I'm still SMH at anyone "underwhelmed" by Washington. Even without flashing his perimeter game tonight, he was again highly effective.

- The transfer who benefits most from Carolina basketball is Ryan, He fits so much better off-ball and being a motion guy than he did at ND. Good off the catch. With that said, he should NOT shoot when he's off-balance, He's just not that guy.

- one thing I've heard out of practice is that Cadeau doesn't make the same mistake twice. Not surprising with that basketball IQ. No hints of foul trouble tonight and much sounder footwork on D. And just wow at that vision. Speaking of that, we still have some guys needing to keep their eyes open anytime he has the rock.

- On that note, EC and RJ need more minutes together asap.

- With all that said, this game exposed some things that need correcting. We started off scoring 12 points on set plays. That's all well and good, but it's fool's gold. This is the second time we've seen it already. We're coming out of the gate as a half-court team and that gets overlooked when we happen to make shots, but even then, we played right into Radford''s hands --- they thrive in a half-court game with crafty (and one dirty) little Guards, so yep, they stayed right with us despite our excellent early shooting.

- When we pushed TEMPO we got our margins and it took them out of their offensive game to boot, but that was NOT consistent. Guys, we only scored 20 points in transition and that dog ain't gonna hunt. In reality, the advantage that mitigated that bad number was that they just couldn't do anything with Mando and our other Bigs (kudos to our spacing and ball-movement that enables that, BTW).

- Finally, look, there's a lot to like about this roster and making last season's dribble-dribble-heave offense just a bad memory. HOWEVER... and some may not like this, but we saw it in the exhibition and we saw it here --- with RJ at point we're still too much of a half-court team -- which defeats the purpose and advantage of our depth. We should be running at people in waves --- with the key word being running. And to do that we need to set the tone from the tip. Bottom line is, if this tantalyzing team is to be all it can be, then EC needs to start, and the sooner the better.

Anyway, I told a buddy that I couldn't have lived thru having to watch last season's brand of basketball again --- that was SOOOO painful --- so hallelujah for our return to Carolina basketball. Now... let's unleash the machine and wreak some havoc....

Also...I like the muscle that JWash has put on. You can definitely see it and it's tranlating on the court. He's in for a big year!!!

 

[ACokeForRoy]

Its going to take a few games for this rotation to gel. I think HD is also still figuring out a rotation. He should have some data to work with after this game. The faster this team goes the better they will get. This team is not built for half court offense, this team is built to run, run and run more. As someone said earlier. With RJ at the 1 this team is not a fast as they should be.

 

[tarwhiz]

I think JWash per 40 min numbers would have been 32/16!!😎 and Bacot like 33/17!!
So I will take 33/17 from the 5 spot every night😊

 

[gunslingerdick]

The nostalgia was strong last night as that game looked exactly like an early season Roy Williams coached game. Loved that Hubert kept throwing guys out there. We played everybody and had dozens of line ups out there. Very Roy like for the first game of the year. Liked the ball movement. I saw enough from Cadeau to know he's going to be ridiculously good by January. Love the way Ingram hits the glass. I like his game all around; a real 5 tool guy. Bacot was dominant and had some really good passes. But his offensive game doesn't look to have expanded. I mean, I should have known. He is what he is at this point. His best offense is throw it up on the glass and then get the rebound for a stickback. His defense is still suspect and our team defense was not great. In fairness though, a couple of those Radford guards made some really tough shots. Love the depth. Seems that everybody was offering something.

 

[Bubspub88]

I haven't watched the game yet so comments based on recaps and box score. First of all, it's a W. Not the blowout many hoped for but didn't crap the bed like Mich. St. i love the minutes being spread early in the year. Ingram and Ryan had very nice stat lines. Rebounding was disappointing, should have been much bigger margin. FT shooting should be better and TO's need to be reduced.

Two more games that should allow the staff to work out some kinks and then that December gauntlet begins. I expect a hiccup or two and with that schedule a loss or 3 will not be devastating so long as they are not the blowouts that have been too common the last couple years.

 

[1heel4life]

Game ONE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ChiShankCity]

Hard for a ton of takeaways until Cadeau is in the starting lineup for me.

Reactionary positive:
- Ingram's perimeter stroke looks much faster than I remember seeing from his Stanford highlights

Reactionary negative:
- Ingram's free throw shooting is worth following.

Some advanced metrics from the game (BartTorvik).
- 71 total possessions (we averaged 68.8 last year)
- Adjusted offensive efficiency: 116.0 (would've ranked 17th in the country last year)
- Adjusted defensive efficiency: 100.6 (would've ranked 102nd in the country last year)

 

[gary-7]

I'm still a bit worried about this team, but I'd say they played about like I expected.

I think the right way to think about it is they're very deep at guard and big, but thin on the wing. We have only 11 real scholarship players and 4 of them (Bacot, Wash, High, Okonkwo) are basically true bigs. We have only 4 total (Ingram, Ryan, Wojcik, Withers) guys playable on the wing and three of them start. We had to have our starter (Paxson) on the floor in the last minute because there was no other scholly guy to play. Hopefully we don't have injuries there.

At the big spot, Bacot and Wash were dominant inside, but then Radford's bigs were pretty soft. I'll hand it to Bacot though, he looked great offensively. Quicker with the ball. I was hoping to see a bit more from High after the exhibition.

Cadeau looked great offensively with his passing (less so shooting), but was getting beat a lot on D. Not sure how that's going to work with RJ against high end guards; someone has to defend the ball. Trimble looked even better than last year at defending the point of attack, but then we do need him to show some skill offensively to be playable in more situations.

Actually Cadeau did better on their liitle Guards than anyone else we had on them. They were just a tough match-up for everyone when we let them slow the game to their style.

 

[HoopsCoach42]

Let's reiterate too that Radford is a dang good basketball team. Lot's of returners and a transfer in Antione that was a Nova guy (and a guy Carolina recruited if I'm not mistaken). They were picked 2nd in the Big South. They will compete with UNCA for the at large bid

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

- Sorry, but I'm still SMH at anyone "underwhelmed" by Washington. Even without flashing his perimeter game tonight, he was again highly effective.

As one of those who was underwhelmed in the scrimmage, my main concern was his motor, or lack thereof. He has the size, grace, and at least some of the skills to become really good, but if he has a weak motor, that won't cut it.

I'm halfway through the Radford game, and the improvement is enough to make me come back here to acknowledge that.

I'm still going to worry on that score until I see more games, but I now think he may have a good enough motor. Might be the weakest motor on the team. Who's weaker? But that's not necessarily bad because we have a bunch of high motor guys this season. Somebody has to bring up the rear, but that doesn't necessarily mean weak.

 

[DaveChapelle]

Not a fan of the defense where we end up with our center defending a guard with 5 seconds left. We had a great defensive possession ruined by switching Washington onto a guard, who promptly swished a 3 bc Washington is not a good perimeter defender. Same thing happened in the Blue/White game resulting in Cadeau getting clean looks from 3 at the end of the game.

 

[DSouthr]

Up front disclaimer, I was not able to watch the game, I listened to the radio broadcast of it and watched some clips from it, will catch the replay that will be available around mid night tonight.

From what I saw and heard, appears like we played with solid intensity from the tip, defended decently and forced a lot of bad shots, some of those bad shots went in. It as well seemed like we took mostly really good shots, clean looks and that is totally out of phrase from last season thankfully! There was a rash of TOs in the first half that seemed to allow this to be much closer than it was. I want to see if they were TOs from sloppiness or bad decision making (other wise known as TOs of commission or omission), I can handle sloppy in game 1, poor decision making that I have seen for the last 3years will be a concern if that is what I see.

Cadeau is still learning but the brilliance of his talent cuts thru HARD. He is going to take more risks now than he should until he gets a better feel for what he can and can not get away with at this level, simply part of the learning process. I don't have any problem at all so far with how Hubert is bringing him along, thou as I have shared many times I don't like RJ at the point but I can deal with it while Cadeau still has some lessons to learn.

We played a rather smallish team and we have one of the best big men in the country so it only makes sense to pound the ball in to an advantage like that and that forces maybe a bit more half court offense than many want to see, I do want to take a look at the quality of those attempted passes in to the paint. I did see Cadeau with a fantastic drop off to Bacot as well as a really sweet chest pass from outside to a open Jalen. It sounded like Ingram was exactly what I expected him to be when he announced for us, just a great glue guy that may not be special in any 1 area but really really good in every aspect we look for. Pax, it sounded as if he played his just in the right place at the right time game, well with the exception of that practice when he met the business end of a Bacot elbow! LOL
From what I* can tell from last night as well as the couple other times I have watched them play in scrimmages that BOTH INgram and Pax can be described as really strong basketball IQs and I LOVE that.

Jalen, gary mentioned something about his being disappointed in how some folks saw Jalen, not sure what that was about? I said after the St Augs game that I didn't feel like he played as well as I would have liked but that was 1 game and an exhibition at that, I stand by what I said. Sounded as if he had a really nice stretch in this game, I want to see before I can critique it. I want to see as well how Withers and Seth played, both should be a bit behind right now due to some nagging injuries they have been dealing with, good to see that they are finally ready.

Sounded like it was a good Radford team for their level, they fought and good for them for doing so. They hit a lot of really contested shots and that is not easy. They gave us a 3guard look and all 3 could shoot, think maybe Miami as a future match up. But they also are a team that plays really deep in their bench so it makes it harder to wear them down and with 3 guards on the floor makes it harder to run on them. It sounded like we gave up a good number of straight drives from well outside, were they catching us between switches? Sounded like we switched a ton, maybe a touch to much?

 

[DSouthr]

Wanted to add and it is VERY important! Loved the tribute to Sweet D with the warm ups !!! Good on ya Hubert!

 

[ChapelHeeled]

This team has talent. Now to keep improving will be key for any UNC team. We have a lot of pieces to work with if we stay healthy. Good opening game win...

 

[gary-7]

Not a fan of the defense where we end up with our center defending a guard with 5 seconds left. We had a great defensive possession ruined by switching Washington onto a guard, who promptly swished a 3 bc Washington is not a good perimeter defender. Same thing happened in the Blue/White game resulting in Cadeau getting clean looks from 3 at the end of the game.

True, but that happens --- remember Zeller on Rivers (ugh)?

Since these are late shot-clock deals, the optimum way for the Big to defend it is just use size to deny the 3 --- unfortunately, Z didn't and Washington didn't. If the little guy wants to drive from that far out with the clock ticking down then ok, we'll take our chances.

 

[tarwhiz]

True, but that happens --- remember Zeller on Rivers (ugh)?

Since these are late shot-clock deals, the optimum way for the Big to defend it is just use size to deny the 3 --- unfortunately, Z didn't and Washington didn't. If the little guy wants to drive from that far out with the clock ticking down then ok, we'll take our chances.

Yes, I have always felt this way. Make a guard make multiple plays starting from 25' out. I will take my chances that our help D would be there most times on a contested two.

 

[Ozheelfan]

Thanks for the write-up as always Gary.

My suspicion with EC is that Hubert is ‘easing’ him in, allowing him to adjust to the pace and demands of the job as well as getting the team to adjust to his style (eyes in the backs of heads)

The spacing on offence was very, very good. Just as good was the movement. Ryan, Wojick and Ingram moved the ball very well around the perimeter and as much as I loved Leaky, this is something he could never do.

Washington worked his backside off and with more court time he’ll learn how to get the seal on his defender for a clean entry pass… lucky he has a pretty good teammate to learn from.

We got to see extended minutes from 4 out of 5 transfers as well as EC and High and I believe Hubert has knocked it out of the park with his recruiting this year. All are difference makers

 

[RP12]

Lineups will be key, especially as long as RJ is playing large minutes at point. It seemed to me that we went back into old bad habits, including the terrible high ball screen start, when we had the wrong group out there. Give me two of EC, Woj, Ingram and Ryan at ALL TIMES to keep us moving the ball via pass.

 

[tarwhiz]

Lineups will be key, especially as long as RJ is playing large minutes at point. It seemed to me that we went back into old bad habits, including the terrible high ball screen start, when we had the wrong group out there. Give me two of EC, Woj, Ingram and Ryan at ALL TIMES to keep us moving the ball via pass.

I tend to think that as the season progresses R.J. and Ingram will be attached so to speak in different variations of the lineup. Ingram gives us another avenue to initiate offense when Cadeau is not on the floor, which mitigates R.J. as a shoot first point guard.
I also don't think we will see Washington at the 5 when Ingram is the 4.
I look for Hubert to continue to play long bench players together, as in a combo of Jwash,Jwith or High together at the 4/5.
I think for the most part , Ingram will play the 4 when Bacot is inthe game at the 5.
So many different lineups are possible, which is a HUGE DEAL.
If we play a guard heavy, Sr oriented mid major in the NCAAT, Hubert can go small with Ingram as the 4.
If we play bigger power schools with big front lines, like Dook, Kansas, UCONN, UK
( when they get their 7 footers back) then Hubert can go big with Ingram or Whithers at the 3. 👍

 

[al would]

My suspicion with EC is that Hubert is ‘easing’ him in, allowing him to adjust to the pace and demands of the job as well as getting the team to adjust to his style (eyes in the backs of heads)

May be that the rest of the team needs to adjust to EC and not vice versa Oz but point taken. G7 is spot on .. need to see RJ and EC play together especially with RJ OFF THE BALL .. he's a wannabe pg EC is already there and the entire UNC team needs to be playing with their eyes on the ball with EC on the floor because he can put it where it needs to be quickly. Also like EC's quickness to the hoop .. it don't take him long to get where he's going and his heads always up. Lot of new faces I'm still getting used to but Withers, Cormac and High look very athletic and thankfully this season depth will not be an issue and if HD don't use it he needs to go away. Bacot is what he is and looks like he's developed physically a bit but he's still a plodder. JWash length and physical development is noticeable and would really like to see him get more PT both at the 4 and 5 so he can hopefully get more confidence in his legs .. he looked a bit tentative running. Don't think I saw or remember seeing Okonkwo, I'll go back and look at the stats. Main take away from last nights opener was this "team" is nothing like last years group and that's the a great thing. These guys have some serious upside and EC and the transfers will play a "yuge" part. GO HEELS

 

[gary-7]

May be that the rest of the team needs to adjust to EC and not vice versa Oz but point taken. G7 is spot on .. need to see RJ and EC play together especially with RJ OFF THE BALL .. he's a wannabe pg EC is already there and the entire UNC team needs to be playing with their eyes on the ball with EC on the floor because he can put it where it needs to be quickly. Also like EC's quickness to the hoop .. it don't take him long to get where he's going and his heads always up.

100% on the heads up. Both High and Withers got surprised by a potential EC dime. I watched his HS and AAU teams countless times and lemme tell ya --- all his teammates knew damn well to 1) run the floor every time, and 2) ASSUME the ball will be coming.

And as I said in the OP, the more time EC and RJ can run together, the faster we'll mesh and gel. Truth be told, for us to be optimum Hubert needs to go in with the notion that EC will led the team in minutes. We've got SO much real depth, but they ALL are better with our elite PG on he floor.

 

[DaveChapelle]

True, but that happens --- remember Zeller on Rivers (ugh)?

Since these are late shot-clock deals, the optimum way for the Big to defend it is just use size to deny the 3 --- unfortunately, Z didn't and Washington didn't. If the little guy wants to drive from that far out with the clock ticking down then ok, we'll take our chances.

I'll never forget watching that play live. Bullock and Zeller could have trapped Rivers along the sideline. The switch didn't need to happen.

My recollection is the only time switching the center onto a guard worked out well for us was that FSU game where Hansbrough shut down Tony Douglas on two consecutive possessions, followed by the Lawson game winner.

 

[FlaTarHeel]

I'll never forget watching that play live. Bullock and Zeller could have trapped Rivers along the sideline. The switch didn't need to happen.

Caught Big Z standing up straight, which ain't hard to do when you're 84+ inches tall.
Just 1 of about 15 or so losses to dook that should have been wins over the last 25 years

 

[DaveChapelle]

Caught Big Z standing up straight, which ain't hard to do when you're 84+ inches tall.
Just 1 of about 15 or so losses to dook that should have been wins over the last 25 years

Plus the refs let Plumlee get away with a push in the back that caused Zeller to score on his own goal, and Curry to take 5 steps before shooting a 3.

Wipe those 5 points away and Rivers shot doesn't even matter.

 

[gary-7]

Plus the refs let Plumlee get away with a push in the back that caused Zeller to score on his own goal, and Curry to take 5 steps before shooting a 3.

Wipe those 5 points away and Rivers shot doesn't even matter.

Argghh... you HAD to remind me...

 

[2DDIMOND]

Plus the refs let Plumlee get away with a push in the back that caused Zeller to score on his own goal, and Curry to take 5 steps before shooting a 3.

Wipe those 5 points away and Rivers shot doesn't even matter.

Through mine and his involvement with showcase baseball, Bryan Kersey and I became friends. I reminded him that he was staring right at the play when Plumlee pushed Zeller. He just shrugged his shoulders. I also came to learn that he is a dook fan.

 

[gary-7]

Through mine and his involvement with showcase baseball, Bryan Kersey and I became friends. I reminded him that he was staring right at the play when Plumlee pushed Zeller. He just shrugged his shoulders. I also came to learn that he is a dook fan.

Imagine that...

 

[Mrs.Jeans15]

There is no rotation. Everyone relax.

The secondary break is back.

And we are more stable at the 2 and 4 positions

 

[FlaTarHeel]

Through mine and his involvement with showcase baseball, Bryan Kersey and I became friends. I reminded him that he was staring right at the play when Plumlee pushed Zeller. He just shrugged his shoulders. I also came to learn that he is a dook fan.

Water is also wet

 

[DaveChapelle]

Didn't feel like starting a new thread about this. Vandy lost to Presbyterian tonight. Bad way for Stack to start the season. Vandy is such a hard place to build a winning program. I still don't know why he didn't hold out for a better job. After winning the G-League title, he was on some short lists for NBA coaching jobs.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I love that Hubs is making EC earn his role! Kinda like Ty had to learn to slow down to play fast; EC and his teammates need to learn each other before playing at optimum effectiveness! What fascinates me is that almost 100% of the peeps who want EC to be the starter from Day 1 also complained that Hubs gave peeps starting roles last year without them earning it! EC is exceptional and almost magical in his vision, creativity, and sense of when to change speeds! BUT he is also a freshman who is learning to play D-1 D and which teammates can handle or anticipate his passes and which can't. The complaint also seems to be that Pax should not be a starter, but I certainly disagree with that idea! He has contributed literally from the jump! This team has about 7+ peeps who are clearly start worthy and 11 who can play significant minutes at the highest level! What a great problem to have! BTW: I couldn't care less about any recruits out there who are bothered by EC not starting from Day 1 because this indicates that team comes second to them! UNC no longer needs to be anyone's second AND they will also see EC thrive in our system and get drafted in the top 3-5!

 

[DSouthr]

Having now watched the complete game I stand by what I shared earlier above. But do have a few other thoughts on that game.

First, surprised this was not discussed in this thread, at least that I have seen, the yet again "new" version of the block/charge call? Now a defender has to be in position before the foot is planted to jump, makes sit near impossible to draw a charge, especially if they look at it like they did on that terrible call on Seth. IN addition, you can no longer bump a cutter even off ball? To be clear, I do NOT like either of these 2 new positions the officiating of these games are enforcing.

I found it very strange, bump a cutter off the ball and catch a whistle but push a defender in the head, Radford guards did this TWICE and neither were called, and no whistle? That one Radford guard was pushing off all night and was one of the stiff arm to the head violators. Didn't like that at all, should have at very least been technicals and frankly the T2 variety.

Radford guard drives the lane and takes a fall away jump shot, over and over and over and then some more of the same? At some point maybe realize the guy is looking to get to a spot for his fall away and had no intention of driving to the cup.

The 2 guys I really wanted to see play were Seth and Withers, Seth still looked a bit shy and tentative on the offensive end but defensively I doubt there is a better on ball defender in the college game. Loved watching him check in and immediately embarrass the ball handler with a steal and that trailing block on that break, sweet sweet stuff! Really thought Withers looked good but I couldn't help but think that Withers looks like what I felt Styles could have become had he got minutes last season, Withers is a little longer but there is a lot of similar in their games to me. Suffice to say, I really liked what I saw from Withers, like his activity. I do want to double down on how impressed I was with both Ingram and Paxon, their basketball IQ's show strong for me, they are just always in the right place and the ball just seems to find them, Theo had this same trait.

Jalen looks physically MUCH stronger, his recovery seems to be a strong success BUT... The lack of playing thru all of that recovery seems to me to be showing. I see from him some of that really nice talent showing thru but mixed with at times for lack of a better term a bit lost at other times? He looks to me like a guy that could break out at any moment with an eruption of scoring or could remain on the verge but not quite getting there for the season. I think he is maybe a big time player for us a year from now but don't know when it finally clicks for him. High, kid needs to live in the weight room and if he does, I feel MUCH better about our front line after this season, he is lacking strength and bulk right now but this is a solid kid that has a HUGE upside.

Oh the open look catch and shoot jumpers for our Heels to take, oh Mando operating one on one so often now, really good stuff! The defense, really like that we are giving them different press looks, changing up the level of pressure well before mid court. Our defense forced a LOT of desperation bad shots just as the shot clock was about to tick away, really strong!

Oh yeah, the turn overs, mostly were the TOs from commission, trying to make something happen, I can live with those from a young kid like Cadeau, BUT... LOL, yeah, another BUT, LOL the kid has to learn who to throw the harder to catch pass and who not to. Maybe it isn't the best idea to pass it so long to a guy like high that is running full speed in traffic, if he could have caught it clean he was to far under the basket to finish. That is just a matter of better learning his team mates abilities and that will come with playing time. While I absolutely love Cadeau's free wheeling style he is going to have to tone it down just a touch, sort of like Ty having to slow down to be faster.

Finally, in a thread over the last week or 2 there was a question of what player struck posters as the key to this teams having big time success and my answer was Ingram, I am even stronger in that mindset today, he may be as impactful as Manek was for us but in a very interestingly different way. Ryan would be my second choice but BOTH are mega improvements to last season!