UNC ONLY BASKETBALL 2024-25 SEASON

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I don't like how we're playing. I think that the biggest issue is getting RJ back close to form. We're going to have a problem inside with our size and I hope we can compensate somehow.

Otoh, I remain more a fan of the team than of the team's success and, although I'm troubled with how we played, three of our losses are to Final Four quality teams. I'm not calling us done in the first half of December.
 
finesse said:
I don't like how we're playing. I think that the biggest issue is getting RJ back close to form. We're going to have a problem inside with our size and I hope we can compensate somehow.

Otoh, I remain more a fan of the team than of the team's success and, although I'm troubled with how we played, three of our losses are to Final Four quality teams. I'm not calling us done in the first half of December.
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A positive take. Appreciated.
But sometimes you have to start calling it like it is and realizing what was already surmised much earlier in the off-season. The team is flawed in it's make up. And our upperclassmen "leaders" (R.J. and JWash) have been pedestrian at best and downright disappointingly horrible for the most part. I won't look it up but R.J.'s shooting %'s must be awful. And JWash is like a ghost in the paint both offensively and defensively.

But you're correct: getting R.J. back close to form is a must.
 
BillOfRights said:
True, but those 2 players had missed the previous 2 and 3 games
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Makes me feel a tiny bit better. Still don’t think you can take much away from such a step down in competition

I mean if GT shoots a meager 34% we're having a very different discussion
 
BillOfRights said:
While Carolina's bigs may be a bit undersized, it isn't fair to say there is no post threat. Lubin is shooting 77%. Washington is shooting 66% on 2FGA. Withers is a threat, even if inconsistent. Even Claude is career 55% 2FG% and a great offensive rebounder. The lack of a "post threat" or "post presence" hasn't had too much of a negative impact on Trimble, Jackson, or Powell's ability to hit 3s. Carolina's bigs didn't have a good offensive game today, but they have had good offensive games this season and will no doubt have more.
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We have three bigs who are pretty good finishers around the rim (except JWit when he's trying to dunk). But I wouldn't call any of them "post threats"

With that said... still think they need to try some actions to get these players in positions to score. As of now teams are ignoring them because they know that nobody is going to look their way

And I think the players probably feel that way too considering they looked surprised the few times the ball did come their way early in that game yesterday
 
Heelsandeers said:
Makes me feel a tiny bit better. Still don’t think you can take much away from such a step down in competition

I mean if GT shoots a meager 34% we're having a very different discussion
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and if Carolina had "average" offensive output against GT, Carolina wins by 20, and we're having a very different discussion.

or if Carolina made only their season average of 33% of their 24 3FGAs (8 instead of 5), Carolina wins by 12.
or if Carolina committed only their season average of TOs on 14% of possessions (10) instead of 24% (18), Carolina wins by 14. (stepped out of bounds twice!!!)

Thankfully, the defense stepped up and saved the day. Again, defense wasn't the problem yesterday, even though it has been much of the season.
 
superrific said:
Well, there has to be at least a little of that, don't you think? Do you anticipate RJ continuing to shoot 25% from 3 point land?
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No, I don’t think that. I expect RJ to get out of his slump at some point, but the team has flaws that go well beyond that. Trying to brush it off as just missing open shots feels extremely reductive.
 
Heelsandeers said:
We have three bigs who are pretty good finishers around the rim (except JWit when he's trying to dunk). But I wouldn't call any of them "post threats"

With that said... still think they need to try some actions to get these players in positions to score. As of now teams are ignoring them because they know that nobody is going to look their way

And I think the players probably feel that way too considering they looked surprised the few times the ball did come their way early in that game yesterday
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I completely agree that the guards need to utilize the bigs for more than just screeners. Our bigs can be productive.

IIRC, Adrian Atkinson (@freeportkid) used to do a lot of analysis of things like post entry passes and PnR usage. Does anyone know where we can find his work now?
 
BillOfRights said:
I completely agree that the guards need to utilize the bigs for more than just screeners. Our bigs can be productive.

IIRC, Adrian Atkinson (@freeportkid) used to do a lot of analysis of things like post entry passes and PnR usage. Does anyone know where we can find his work now?
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IMG_6086.jpeg
 
BillOfRights said:
Again, defense wasn't the problem yesterday, even though it has been much of the season.
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I don’t think anyone said that it was. We’re saying big deal vs a bottom feeding acc team

I certainly don’t doubt this team is capable of ok defense vs bad teams
 
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Peppers49 said:
No, I don’t think that. I expect RJ to get out of his slump at some point, but the team has flaws that go well beyond that. Trying to brush it off as just missing open shots feels extremely reductive.
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"A little bit of that" isn't the same as "brushing it off as JUST missing open shots."
 
Actually, Wayne, stankeyleg, and Geisterfahrer did, and you're implying it. The evidence I provided showed that Coach Davis was correct and Carolina's defense against GT was much improved.
 
BillOfRights said:
Actually, Wayne, stankeyleg, and Geisterfahrer did, and you're implying it. The evidence I provided showed that Coach Davis was correct and Carolina's defense against GT was much improved.
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Did you actually watch the game? We are terrible at recovering on ball screens, guys clearly don’t know when to double and when not to, and they are not communicating.
 
BillOfRights said:
and if Carolina had "average" offensive output against GT, Carolina wins by 20, and we're having a very different discussion.

or if Carolina made only their season average of 33% of their 24 3FGAs (8 instead of 5), Carolina wins by 12.
or if Carolina committed only their season average of TOs on 14% of possessions (10) instead of 24% (18), Carolina wins by 14. (stepped out of bounds twice!!!)

Thankfully, the defense stepped up and saved the day. Again, defense wasn't the problem yesterday, even though it has been much of the season.
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Thank you. Well said.
 
BillOfRights said:
Actually, Wayne, stankeyleg, and Geisterfahrer did, and you're implying it. The evidence I provided showed that Coach Davis was correct and Carolina's defense against GT was much improved.
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GT missed a lot of good shots yesterday. Several times UNC players were lost on what to do (switch, don't switch, etc.). I understand your doubt in listening to me and a few others here. But, it's not just us, Rob pointed it out too, along with the talking heads during the break and after the game. To be frank, I don't know what you could point to in that game as a clear step-up from the previous few.

Now, this doesn't mean that it is fixable and that HD/staff won't be able to figure out how to fix it.
 
Geisterfahrer said:
Did you actually watch the game? We are terrible at recovering on ball screens, guys clearly don’t know when to double and when not to, and they are not communicating.
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Yeah it’s not like this was going to fix it itself in 4 days from Alabama

Maybe they did some things better yesterday. Certainly nothing noteworthy

Seth and Ian come to mind as playing some pretty good/aggressive on ball D. But that is usually the case
 
Geisterfahrer said:
Did you actually watch the game? We are terrible at recovering on ball screens, guys clearly don’t know when to double and when not to, and they are not communicating.
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Yeah, I watched the game. I'm frustrated by Carolina's lack of effectiveness defending the PnR, but there are different ways to do it correctly depending on your personnel and theirs, so I'm not sure what Carolina is trying to do at times, and it looks like the players aren't sure either sometimes. This could be because Carolina is trying to do different things at different times. I expect this to improve as the season progresses.

A lot of this is execution in which players have to make the correct reads and correct decisions. Not knowing how Coach Davis is trying to defend the PnR in every situation, I don't know if it's tactics or execution.

RJ Davis has been in the program for 5 years. Washington and Trimble 3 each. Withers, Lubin, and Claude are experienced, albiet in other programs and roles. Communication should be better.

Defense has been a problem in several games this year, but that doesn't mean it was yesterday.
Offense has been elite in several games this year, but that doesn't mean it was yesterday.
Carolina beat GT because the defense was really good while the offense struggled mightily.
 
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