UNC’s tough early basketball schedule continues with game against No. 10 Alabama
Some college basketball coaches prefer a strong nonconference schedule, all the better to toughen up their players.
Others, in the age of the transfer portal and lineup remakes, prefer a slightly easier ride into their conference schedules.
Through its first seven games, No. 20 North Carolina has gone the tough route. The KenPom rankings have the Tar Heels playing the 10th strongest schedule, and their next game is against No. 10 Alabama in the ACC/SEC Challenge.
The Heels lost at No. 1 Kansas. They went to the Maui Invitational and took losses against Auburn and Michigan State after beating Dayton in the first of three games in three days, leaving them with a 4-3 record..
“All of the games give us a picture of what we’re doing well and want to continue to do well, and things we need to address and get better at,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said Monday. “When you allow 50 points in the paint against Kansas and also against Michigan State, that gives you a clear picture of things that we may need to tweak or alter or pivot from.”
The Alabama game Wednesday at the Smith Center could further sharpen that picture. It’s a rematch, of sorts, of the NCAA Sweet 16 game in Los Angeles last March that the Tide won 89-87 on the way to the Final Four.
Some of the faces have changed but some remain the same — R..J. Davis and Elliot Cadeau of UNC, and Mark Sears and Grant Nelson of Alabama, just to name a few. Sears is the Crimson Tide’s top scorer and Nelson a 6-foot-11 senior who had 24 points and 12 boards in that NCAA win to knock out the Heels.
“Obviously, they’re very talented and they have a system and a way that they play,” Davis said. “The way they transition from defense to offense is real. Tremendous length and athleticism. We’ll have our hands full.”
Alabama lost its last game, against Oregon on Saturday in the championship game of the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The Ducks scored the winning basket with 4.4 seconds left for an 83-81 victory after the Tide rallied late to tie the score.
The Crimson Tide had five players in double figures, led by Labaron Philon’s 15 points. Alabama was 12-of-38 on 3-pointers and had 15 turnovers that Oregon converted into 17 points, after 20 turnovers in a win against Rutgers in the event.
In assessing the Heels’ play in Maui, Davis said he always looks first at rebounding, defense and ow the Heels took care of the basketball — the three “boxes” he often mentions that gauges success in games.
“From a defensive standpoint, (of) the six halves in Maui, three of the six we allowed teams to shoot over 50% from the field. That’s not where we want to be,” Davis said. “In the three games in Maui, teams were averaging 90 points a game. That’s not good and not where we want to be.
“Defensively we need to do a better job guarding the ball, one on one, whether it’s in the post of the perimeter. We have to do a better job of protecting the paint, we just do. We have to do a better job of communicating and talking. I’ve never seen a good defensive team not talk.”
The Heels slightly outrebounded Dayton as Seth Trimble had a team-high 10, but were beaten on the boards by Auburn and then Michigan State, which had a 37-29 edge.
“Rebounding the basketball, in the three games in Maui, we were a minus-4,” Davis said. “That’s definitely not where we need to be. Our defensive rebounding percentage is not where it needs to be. Our offensive rebounding numbers are nowhere near where I want it to be.”
Davis said before Maui, the Tar Heels led the nation in fewest turnovers per game. They had 15 in the 92-90 win against Dayton, 10 in the 85-72 loss to Auburn and then 11 in the 94-91 loss to the Spartans.
“In the three games in Maui, we averaged more turnovers than assists and a lot of points off turnovers,” he said.
Another troubling, and somewhat puzzling trend for UNC this season has been in falling behind in the first half of games. Kansas led, 53-38. Dayton led, 51-33. MSU led by 14 points in the first half and nine at the break.
“We’ve been behind a lot,” Davis said. “In order to come back, guys want to make a play that gets us back — ‘We’re down by 14, let’s make a basket that ties it,’ which you know can’t happen.
“So maybe we’re doing a little too much for the right reasons that has resulted in some turnovers.”
The slow starts in some games have Davis and his staff reconsidering “everything,” the coach said — the starting lineup, rotations, combinations, you name it.
“Of our 15 players, 10 are new,” Davis said. “I think this team is trying to find its rhythm. I think every day we’re getting better and more familiar with each other.
“Sometimes, it takes a little bit of time.”
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 10:43 AM.
