North Carolina’s defensive meltdown in Maui final week made its solution to the continental United States on Wednesday as No. 10 Alabama sliced and diced its solution to a 94-79 beatdown of the No. 19 Tar Heels inside Chapel Hill as a part of the ACC/SEC problem.
The Crimson Tide shot 49.3% from the sphere and led for all however the opening three minutes and 21 seconds of sport motion, handing UNC its second-largest house lack of the Hubert Davis period.
It was a clinic of what to do on offense for Alabama, which hit 12 3-pointers within the win and has now scored 85 factors or extra in six of its 9 video games this season, however equally as essential to the result was UNC’s 40-minute clinic on what to not do on protection.
It began early within the sport when UNC, over and over, didn’t get again in transition and gave up simple appears both on the rim or within the nook — two candy spots Alabama’s offense loves to focus on on its warmth map. Grant Nelson is 6-foot-11 — not the simplest man to lose in a crowd! — however the Tar Heels simply three minutes into the sport let him assault proper to the rim in transition.
It continued elsewhere, too, with UNC exhibiting its protection just isn’t simply unhealthy in transition. The shortage of threats defending the rim particularly was evident on this one, too. Mark Sears put his head down and bought to the cup when he wished with little or no resistance. Identical for Labaron Philon. Alabama’s offense does an excellent job of blending issues up and forcing chaos with switches, however UNC took the bait often and gambled at inopportune occasions to make its back-end rim safety look nonexistent.
Maybe most maddening of all for Davis and his group was the UNC protection failing to shut out on shooters or simply leaving them open solely. Alabama is understood for nothing if not its relentless willingness to shoot 3s. That is prime of the scouting report materials. But again and again, UNC left guys on their very own across the arc to bury them — which Alabama fortunately did with 12 made 3s on 33 makes an attempt.
Twelve made 3s is only a regular day on the workplace for Alabama’s high-flying assault. However Alabama, short-handed after shedding prime 3-point shooter Latrell Wrightsell Jr., additionally made 14 layups within the sport. It was a breakdown of scheme and a lapse in effort that exacerbated an unsightly begin to the season.
Now 4-4, North Carolina is off to its worst begin because the notorious 2001-02 season, the place it opened 3-5 earlier than ending 8-20 beneath Matt Doherty. That is not good for the Tar Heels in any yr, but it surely’s unacceptable given the expertise stage and preseason expectations.
There’s loads of causes to be eager for enchancment and progress for this group, after all, which facilities round star RJ Davis and a few fast maturation we have already seen from freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell. However the incapability to cease any group on protection the final two weeks is an issue that will persist if it will possibly’t do easy issues nicely and get again to fundamentals. And shortly.
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