This was a pretty good tournament for us

[gauchoheel]

From a point differential standpoint, we were great in these last three games. We were favored by 12 over Northern Iowa and beat them by 22. We were an even match with Nova and played them evenly. Then, down one of our clear starters and only favored by a couple points, we whooped Arkansas by 15.

People are panicked that we're in for a repeat of last year due to that familiar, frustrating finish against Nova. It wasn't fun to watch that ending, but if Nova doesn't hit 90% of their free throws or we hit one more shot we're 3-0 this weekend. The other two games were way above expectations blowouts.

Harrison Ingram appears to have turned the corner as a junior, and if his play is sustainable at all we'll probably be a lot better than last year. We finally have a reliable third scorer again, and he's someone who can defend/rebound/pass to boot. Ryan also appears to be a decent off-ball shooter that we've missed (apart from Manek) for years, and Cadeau is making mistakes that are fixable with time. Trimble also is showing some offensive skills that will make him at minimum a solid rotation player.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself but next year we potentially have a RJ/Cadeau/Trimble experienced backcourt with Ingram/Powell/Jackson at forward. We lose Bacot but have Washington and can potentially add via frontcourt transfers. I think we should feel good about where the team's at currently and we're in a great spot for next year as things currently stand too.

 

[ChiShankCity]

We're better than last year. We can win in more ways than last year. This trip didn't prove anything too different to me. I thought it was a S16 type team coming into the season. I leave thinking it's a S16 type team.

I take a lot more away from the Nova game than the Arkansas game. I always think Arkansas is a decent matchup for us. They want to run, they play a lot of iso ball and they shoot a lot of long 2's.

I think there's a ceiling to this team because RJ and Bacot aren't dominant players. But it's a much more well rounded team. The Ingram upgrade over Leaky is really big. Credit to Ingram. He's playing much better than I thought we would. Hopefully he continues to be a really good catch-and-shoot 3PT shooter.

 

[sdingeldein]

I like this group. They are good and will get MUCH better. How much remains to be seen.

 

[al would]

We're better than last year. We can win in more ways than last year.

Absolutely. Defense is getting there but can be much better. Offense is much better and the outside game is taking some pressure off of the interior guys (Bacot) at times. Feeling much better about the younger guys like Seth, Wash, EC and hope they develop more both physically and mentally. And a lot of fouls being called on EC in Atlantis were total bs but by the same token he needs to play defense without reaching and extending his arms and hands .. jmo. GREAT to see the upper class men and transfers starting to find their groove and I think a lot of that has to do with EC's increasing time with them both on court and in practice. This is a much better team than last season and they look more "together" with each game. The win against AR was a really good win.

 

[ChiShankCity]

Oh… maybe one big takeaway. When healthy it’s EC-RJ-Ryan-Ingram-Bacot as the first unit.

Ryan is probably our best 2 way player. Can’t bench that IMO. Withers should be the first guy off the bench. Thus far, Withers has shown he’s a role player.

 

[Heelicious]

Just one thing that bothered me a bit at end of the game today. When EC fouled out. I’m sure he was disappointed in himself but wow! For about 3 game minutes he was so distraught it was like he single handedly cost them a national championship. Or like family members died. Or was that bad. Head in hands. Pulling his hair incessantly. Not watching the game. Not necessarily learning from it and cheering his teammates on.

I realize he was THE GUY at the high school level. But he’s so darn young and frankly quite immature. He’s got A LOT of physical and especially emotional maturity and intelligence growth he needs - to be a factor at this level - and at his size a steep uphill to get to next level.

Not saying he can’t do it. It’s just not going to come easy like it seems things did at the hs level. It is awesome having the most emotionally mature pg I can remember at UNC - Marcus Paige - to be an excellent mentor.

 

[gary-7]

Just one thing that bothered me a bit at end of the game today. When EC fouled out. I’m sure he was disappointed in himself but wow! For about 3 game minutes he was so distraught it was like he single handedly cost them a national championship. Or like family members died. Or was that bad. Head in hands. Pulling his hair incessantly. Not watching the game. Not necessarily learning from it and cheering his teammates on.

I realize he was THE GUY at the high school level. But he’s so darn young and frankly quite immature. He’s got A LOT of physical and especially emotional maturity and intelligence growth he needs - to be a factor at this level - and at his size a steep uphill to get to next level.

Not saying he can’t do it. It’s just not going to come easy like it seems things did at the hs level. It is awesome having the most emotionally mature pg I can remember at UNC - Marcus Paige - to be an excellent mentor.

There is nothing bad about that. EC is a winner, and once he recovers his swagger, is a stone-cold killer. Truth be know, he is the one irreplaceable guy on this team if we are to get to the promised land.

 

[bluetoe]

Just one thing that bothered me a bit at end of the game today. When EC fouled out. I’m sure he was disappointed in himself but wow! For about 3 game minutes he was so distraught it was like he single handedly cost them a national championship. Or like family members died. Or was that bad. Head in hands. Pulling his hair incessantly. Not watching the game. Not necessarily learning from it and cheering his teammates on.

I realize he was THE GUY at the high school level. But he’s so darn young and frankly quite immature. He’s got A LOT of physical and especially emotional maturity and intelligence growth he needs - to be a factor at this level - and at his size a steep uphill to get to next level.

Not saying he can’t do it. It’s just not going to come easy like it seems things did at the hs level. It is awesome having the most emotionally mature pg I can remember at UNC - Marcus Paige - to be an excellent mentor.

he just needs to get used to the officiating. I'm sure it's been a shock to not know when you might get a whistle.

 

[gary-7]

he just needs to get used to the officiating. I'm sure it's been a shock to not know when you might get a whistle.

This ^

 

[Heelicious]

To be clear I love EC’s passion for the game and his confidence, too. He’s not getting any fouls called on him now that won’t also be called on him in some games later in the year, too. So he has to learn quickly. Soon they will need him on the court 32+ minutes per game.

I was looking at player profiles earlier this fall - and noticed EC has exact same birthday as me! Sept 4. I thought that was pretty cool and another reason to like him.

 

[JimmyinVA]

villanova is a strong national title contender and we played them close, no cause for distress.

 

[vikandpirate4christ]

villanova is a strong national title contender and we played them close, no cause for distress.

Definitely no reason to stress. I thought OVERALL we played good, and showed us that our guys have some toughness that we haven’t seen from our guys in several seasons

 

[al would]

There is nothing bad about that. EC is a winner, and once he recovers his swagger, is a stone-cold killer. Truth be know, he is the one irreplaceable guy on this team if we are to get to the promised land.

Hope we've seen the last of him not starting. This team just looks different when he's on the floor and in a good way.

 

[ChiShankCity]

villanova is a strong national title contender and we played them close, no cause for distress.

I wouldn’t go that far. They’re a good team though. I personally don’t think Arkansas is all that good so the Nova game told me some more.

But we’re better than last year for sure. We have room to grow too. Pieces are in place for an exciting season.

 

[gary-7]

Hope we've seen the last of him not starting. This team just looks different when he's on the floor and in a good way.

Yes... yes, it does.

 

[DSouthr]

Definitely no reason to stress. I thought OVERALL we played good, and showed us that our guys have some toughness that we haven’t seen from our guys in several seasons

I think for where we are in the season, it was a really good tourney for us. WE got tested by teams that had size where we had only played smallish teams before hand. It did expose some things we need to work on. I do think we played closer to our floor than our ceiling but so many new parts that is what we should all expect this time of the season.

I think that as this season moves on this team will come together more and more, guys will get more comfortable in their roles and not try to step out of their roles as much, this team has a real chance of being really special.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

EC will need to learn to present a calmer and more controlled face to opponents BUT it is awesome that anything that even smacks of failure really irks him! He has an MJ like level of passion for winning so he will have to develop a matching will! He has the skill, learning curve, and IQ to become great and will get there with the mentoring of older team mates, more tough in-game lessons, and coaches like Hubs, Lebo, Paige, and others who really know what it takes! KId has shown already that he seldom repeats mistakes so he will learn to handle big guards trying to beast him, tricky vets taking advantage of off-balance plays, and refs' inconsistency!

The team grew by leaps and bounds these last few games! Possibly the most important lessons are:

1. RJ is an absolute DOG!
2. We can win even if we don't play our best
3. We can compete with all types of teams and the best in the country
4. Ingram is a bonafide stat stuffing horse
5. Trimble and JWash can be counted on to step up when needed
6. Mando impacts the game far more then just the double/doubles
7. Our D is way better and our O is becoming more efficient by the game!
8. Our team has toughness and grit
9. Our coaches handle in game pressure/adjustments well
10. This will be a fun ride and I believe it will last deep into March!

 

[ChiShankCity]

Parts of Cadeau’s game are now being compared to Michael Jordan now. Lol.

 

[TPFKAPFS]

I often wonder if reading comprehension is part of your repertoire??? (if you were more than a troll, I would suggest you get a literacy coach) Negativity is often (intentionally) confused with objectivity but it is really it's antithesis!

I hope Bacot uses the relentless rebounder that Hans was as his standard and all players use MJ's will to win as their standard! EC clearly demonstrated he has an extreme love of winning and this is one of the many things that separated MJ from other mortals! Not many are capable of even approaching those two but there is nothing wrong with attempting to reach their status!

 

[superstar57]

This tourney should have rejuvenated hope into UNC basketball. This year's team actually has the dept that I thought we may have had last year.

I always liked Davis and Love, but I couldn't stand that both would Jake up shots. Now with only having one, it is useful as we still need that guy who can make a play on his own, just not two guys doing it.

Bacot is a UNC Legend, but there is a reason he is not in the NBA, and he seems to help us more win, when he is at the 14 and 10 and 16 and 10, and obviously against some opponents he will have the advantage and go off for 25 and 14. Having other guys who can score besides Bacot is a lot better than seeing us trying to get the ball into a double team on Bacot.

Ingram is benefitting from play with Bacot. I love that he can make a 3 pointer but his mid-range little hook is a biggie for us (High percentage).

I can't say enough about Cadeau! he is the engine period!

 

[bluetoe]

I always liked Davis and Love, but I couldn't stand that both would Jake up shots. Now with only having one, it is useful as we still need that guy who can make a play on his own, just not two guys doing it.

I'm not trying to challenge you but I have a different view of this. I agree that Love was one of the worst shot-jackers that I can remember in a Carolina uni. But I don't see RJ that way at all. Maybe being in a discombobulated offense made it seem that way to you or maybe I just don't know what I was looking at, but either way his shooting pulled our ass out of the fire more than a few times. And I don't mean an isolated game-winner or two, but more like someone who shot to find a groove, and if he found it to go ahead and keep shooting to reap the benefit for us.

I'm biased. Davis has been a favorite of mine among a long line of favorites so maybe my vision is colored a little.

 

[tarwhiz]

I'm not trying to challenge you but I have a different view of this. I agree that Love was one of the worst shot-jackers that I can remember in a Carolina uni. But I don't see RJ that way at all. Maybe being in a discombobulated offense made it seem that way to you or maybe I just don't know what I was looking at, but either way his shooting pulled our ass out of the fire more than a few times. And I don't mean an isolated game-winner or two, but more like someone who shot to find a groove, and if he found it to go ahead and keep shooting to reap the benefit for us.

I'm biased. Davis has been a favorite of mine among a long line of favorites so maybe my vision is colored a little.

My favorite player too all 3 years. I might have a new crush now though 😊
Harrison 😍🥰

 

[al would]

I'm biased. Davis has been a favorite of mine among a long line of favorites so maybe my vision is colored a little.

I respect your opinion but RJ and Love, for whatever reason, just didn't seem to play that well together more often than not. And when RJ has been playing PG or as the primary handling guard this year when EC is on the floor it seems it's the RJ show where he's always looking for his shot or his opening to drive and shoot and not looking to involve his talented team. And tbh I've never been the biggest RJ fan because of his size. But he does have heart and will leave it all on the floor and I do admire that about him. GO HEELS !!

 

[bluetoe]

I respect your opinion but RJ and Love, for whatever reason, just didn't seem to play that well together more often than not. And when RJ has been playing PG or as the primary handling guard this year when EC is on the floor it seems it's the RJ show where he's always looking for his shot or his opening to drive and shoot and not looking to involve his talented team. And tbh I've never been the biggest RJ fan because of his size. But he does have heart and will leave it all on the floor and I do admire that about him. GO HEELS !!

well, things have been shuffled considerably this year so I'm not judging much this early. Look at Bacot (to refer to another returning player), and his play compared to a typical outing last year.

Love and RJ not geeing and hawing so well last year doesn't diminish those performances by RJ where he was a key difference in getting a W with a hot hand....and rock steady FT prowess, although that's not exactly germane I guess. The actual subject was whether or not he was one to jack up shots. He will occasionally I can concede, but I would only characterize Love that way and not RJ, either this year or last.

And I have to mention I mean no disrespect to Love, he's in my heart forever....or until I die, whichever comes first.

ETA...his size makes his contribution more admirable to me.

 

[DSouthr]

I'm not trying to challenge you but I have a different view of this. I agree that Love was one of the worst shot-jackers that I can remember in a Carolina uni. But I don't see RJ that way at all. Maybe being in a discombobulated offense made it seem that way to you or maybe I just don't know what I was looking at, but either way his shooting pulled our ass out of the fire more than a few times. And I don't mean an isolated game-winner or two, but more like someone who shot to find a groove, and if he found it to go ahead and keep shooting to reap the benefit for us.

I'm biased. Davis has been a favorite of mine among a long line of favorites so maybe my vision is colored a little.

I do see RJ at times riding that fine line of shooting to much, I didn't love the 8 for 23 effort vs Nova but more because I didn't like the quality of shots. Kid can take 50 shots in a game "IF" they are clean looks but 10 can be to many if they are hard looks. This team has to much other talent to have to suffer thru "Caleb syndrome", un-conscious shot taking. I think EVERY player on this team is a role player and for this team to be at it's best they ALL have to play within their roles., Last season was a great example of what happens when multiple players play outside of what their roles should be. I am not convinced yet that this staff does a great job of identifying roles real well or holding players accountable for stepping outside of their roles. Meaning, I feel like we brought in players that do a great job of understanding their roles and playing with in them, do we credit their former coaching or our current coaching or is that just the nature of the player?

I have not seen enough to get a feel for the above, it does seem so far that maybe Bacot is struggling a touch now because his role is not as big as last season, at times RJ does seem to go a bit to far, Ryan did seem to settle in to more his role in that tourney than he had in the games leading up to it. Withers right now looks to me like a guy that is maybe not completely either sure or comfortable in his role but JWash seems to be settling in and finding how he fits the whole. For me, a guy that has been strong in for Withers, JWash would be cutting in to his PT if the call were mine.

 

[bluetoe]

I do see RJ at times riding that fine line of shooting to much, I didn't love the 8 for 23 effort vs Nova but more because I didn't like the quality of shots. Kid can take 50 shots in a game "IF" they are clean looks but 10 can be to many if they are hard looks. This team has to much other talent to have to suffer thru "Caleb syndrome", un-conscious shot taking. I think EVERY player on this team is a role player and for this team to be at it's best they ALL have to play within their roles., Last season was a great example of what happens when multiple players play outside of what their roles should be. I am not convinced yet that this staff does a great job of identifying roles real well or holding players accountable for stepping outside of their roles. Meaning, I feel like we brought in players that do a great job of understanding their roles and playing with in them, do we credit their former coaching or our current coaching or is that just the nature of the player?

I have not seen enough to get a feel for the above, it does seem so far that maybe Bacot is struggling a touch now because his role is not as big as last season, at times RJ does seem to go a bit to far, Ryan did seem to settle in to more his role in that tourney than he had in the games leading up to it. Withers right now looks to me like a guy that is maybe not completely either sure or comfortable in his role but JWash seems to be settling in and finding how he fits the whole. For me, a guy that has been strong in for Withers, JWash would be cutting in to his PT if the call were mine.

good notes on Wash, I see big things for him. I think he has a game we haven't seen yet, and I hope it is developed to the max.

I don't know how people expect a lot of coherent play out of a group that hasn't been together before, especially when we see players being subbed liberally (which I like). It's either going to come together or remain a little disjointed, with players trying to fill their roles or stepping outside of them as you say. I think we'll gel just fine but I'm just guessing.

I will not judge RJ on any one outing. I have always heard that good shooters should keep shooting until they start hitting. One thing I like about him is his ability to get clean looks around the basket and make the shots, on top of his ability to make shots that aren't that clean-looking. I miss that being the focus before the three point line came in. At any rate, I think he can be the glue to make this a team and I hope that's the way it goes.

 

[al would]

I have not seen enough to get a feel for the above, it does seem so far that maybe Bacot is struggling a touch now because his role is not as big as last season, at times RJ does seem to go a bit to far,

I think you're exactly right D. RJ, does not seem (not a missed perception bro), to go a bit to far at times because he actually does. He says he is a pg but more often than not he is a pg looking for his shot and not setting up someone else. And the more time he has the ball in his hands instead of EC this team will not improve at the necessary pace. EC is always probing and looking for a defensive reaction to set up others. Some of his hook passes on the baseline are instinctive. Ya' can't teach a dog (RJ)to be fox. EC was born a fox.

Bacot is struggling because he still hasn't developed a reliable offensive game, although a couple of those baseline semi-jump hooks were an improvement against AR, but his handle, footwork and hops still remind me of a Clydesdale pulling a Bud wagon. I'd love to see him and Washington go at it in practices and I'd love to see JWash gain a little bulk and get more PT. If EC stays another yr. with the legacy players gone and a fresh incoming class ... OH NELLIE !!!