North Carolina vs Northern Iowa Quickie: Time To Man Up

Final: UNI 71 UNC 67

Perimeter Problems

With Marcus Paige unable to play in his homecoming game his replacements had an off day. Pinson, Berry, Britt and Williams would finish a combined 4-17 (24%) from the field and 2-10 (20%) from deep. The four would also finish with 8 turnovers and 10 assists. Sloppy perimeter play would be one of the many issues for the Tar Heels in the second half. Out of the four, Britt would be the only one to attempt a free throw, going 1-2 from the line.

Second Half Carolina Blues

UNC would take a 41-32 lead into halftime, stretching the lead to 16 at the 17:10 mark of the second half. UNI would outscore the Tar Heels 39-26 in the second half, taking over down the stretch to complete their 4 point victory. While Kennedy Meeks would start hot with 8 early points; he'd finish with only 9 on the game. as UNI would contain him in the final 20 minutes. After attempting 11 free throws in the first half; making 10, UNC would only attempt two in the second half... making none.

3 Issues

While UNC would only make 5 threes (shooting 27.8% from deep), UNI would make a season high 11 on 28 attempts. Excluding Justin Jackson, UNC went 2-11 from deep...in comparison Jesperson and Bohannon each made 4 for UNI.

Are We Back Where We Started?

Granted Marcus Paige was out, and this was a true road game against a tough opponent, but the question has to be asked: what has changed with this group? UNC has been inconsistent from deep, there's no toughness... and they've now faltered down the stretch in a game they had in hand. Slow starts in previous games were made up for...they're still coasting. UNC still very much appears to be a team that expects to win on talent alone rather than using their abilities to make plays...there's really no excuse for being outworked.

Running Inside

UNC likes to play fast under Roy, it's always been the case. How does UNI outscore them 11-7 in points off turnovers? UNC bigs are supposed to be top 3 if not the best in the country...how do they get outscored 24-22 in the paint? How does UNC attempt only 2 free throws in the second half? The only logical conclusion I can come up with is the aforementioned mental toughness and will to win... there's no excuse for any of these stats.

Lone Star

Justin Jackson's offensive output in this contest comes as the only bright spot in a disappointing Carolina loss. Jackson broke out for 25 points on 9-15 shooting while going 3-7 from deep and 4-4 from the line in 36 minutes.

Please

Man up already, we're all sick of watching such a talented group of players get outclassed in games they should win. You waste too much time working out and practicing to let other teams embarrass you on game day. I get the team isn't filled with killers, it hasn't been for a while (Peej was the last one, and we were robbed of his takeover season). Just step on the court and realize it's you against them, you don't get an auto W because you're wearing Carolina blue.

I don't care how nice this group is and how much Roy enjoys coaching them, you can tell they're all great guys. Keep that crap off the court, when you step in-between the lines it's eat or be eaten. Losing to a more talented team is acceptable (there's few if any in the country), losing because you were pushed around by lesser talent is unacceptable and I'm out of excuses for this group.

UNC vs Wofford: Quick Thoughts

Get Off The Block

UNC once again comes out sluggish as they allow Wofford to hang around the entire first half; leading by 5 at the break. Not sure what it's going to take for this team to realize they can't coast early, especially against better competition. While the game only had 4 lead changes and Wofford only led by 3 just over a minute into the game, you get the feeling UNC still thinks it can rely on pure talent.

Leo Visits Chapel Hill

The Tar Heels dominated the paint tonight outscoring Wofford 50-18 inside while out-rebounding the Terriers 42-25. Kennedy Meeks finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds, while Brice Johnson had a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds. Isaiah Hicks added 12 for UNC down low; going 4-5 from the field. The numbers look nice and while UNC dominated the paint, you'd still like to see a little more intensity out of the big men when they matchup against the high majors.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

UNC finished the evening 1-9 from deep with Nate Britt making the only Tar Heel three on the night. Berry, Jackson and Pinson finished a combined 0-5 from deep; Pinson did not attempt a three pointer. Granted Paige is missing and the three ball had dropped at times in previous games but there's no excuse for a night like this...expect the shooting to improve.

Taking Advantage Of The T/O

While the T/O differential wasn't that large; as Wofford had 15 to UNC's 12, UNC did a nice job getting out on the run off Terrier mistakes as they outscored Wofford 20-8 in points of turnovers. Berry led UNC with 4 steals on the night while 6 Tar Heels recorded at least 1.

So What Does It Mean?

Carolina seems to still be figuring themselves out. At times they appear to be a team that knows they're better than their opponents and expects to win; rather than coming out and proving it. Not sure what it's going to take for this group to wake up and realize that the great teams are never content, but hopefully the epiphany comes sooner than later. Not having Paige their on court leader on the floor yet could be the issue; then again this group has had this kind of reputation in the past even with Paige on the floor.