Amen @bluetoeI was going to say something similar. I'm no BB guru by any means but I did see the game, and what I saw was basketballs not going through the hoop. We had our shots, regardless of who happened to be in the game. And sometimes when we didn't, we took them anyway. I will never criticize RJ for a bad night, because his good ones are why we were even there to begin with. It isn't about RJ, but had RJ been on we'd still be dancing.
What had me ready to obliterate my TV was what has been my gripe all season, and I mentioned it earlier in the season somewhere here. Those missed shots around the rim make me go insane. Those little putbacks. Putting it on the backboard instead of slamming it home (and missing it when we did slam it). Losing poise and tossing it at the hole instead of shooting it. Two of those made and we'd be singing a different song today..
I know they were very physical under there but that's no surprise, that's where things get physical.
And I’m biased but it seems to be an issue to UNC. Bacot will be the all time king of missed dunks and layups and 2 foot shots…continued that last night.
But it wasn’t just him. HI is a great athlete but why doesn’t he go hard to the hole take his time and attempt to dunk it early in the game - imstead of having his layup blocked from behind.
I’m not necessarily expecting rj and ec to dunk everything but I think sometimes they rush the finish or go too far in among big guys instead of taking / making a 6-8 footer or slow down a split second and focus on putting the ball on the square on the glass