For the second consecutive game, Carolina put together a valiant effort against an elite basketball team but wasn’t warranted with the desired result, as Carolina fell 87-83 to Kentucky in the CBS Sports Classic. Whenever these two programs get together, we usually get a classic college basketball game, and that is exactly what we got today, from two of the premier programs in the sport. The Tar Heels never led, until they took a 72-71 lead late in the second half, rallying from multiple double-digit deficits throughout the game. The Wildcats responded with a 6-0 run and never looked back on the way to the win. Down 86-83, Elliot Cadeau threw a pass off the back of Cormac Ryan, that went out of bounds, taking away an opportunity for UNC to tie the game, and send it to over time. R.J. Davis once again paced this team, scoring a game-high, 27 points, on 8-28 shooting, including going 3-9 from behind the arc. Cormac Ryan had his best game as a Tar Heel, scoring 20 points, on 8-12 shooting, as he went 4-7 from from long range. Harrison Ingram was the only other UNC player to reach double figures scoring, adding 10 points, on 4-10 shooting.
When Hubert Davis met with the media on Thursday, he talked about the importance of rebounding a handful of times and went as far as to say that how players performed in that particular area of the game, would impact playing time. After today, we’re going to see if he meant what he said, because Carolina was once again overwhelmed on glass, losing the rebounding battle 42-32, and gave up a whopping 18 offensive rebounds, which led to 15 second-chance points for Kentucky. Armando Bacot was held to just 6 rebounds, and while R.J. Davis stepped up, grabbing 7 boards, this team needs more from their starters, and their reserves, to be the best rebounding team they can be.
This isn’t the same Kentucky team that lost at home to UNC-Wilmington a few weeks ago, and tonight it was John Calipari basketball. As he has done over the years, he got his younger, more inexperienced team, to outplay a veteran team in a big moment. Rob Dillingham, a former local North Carolina high school product, who was never recruited by UNC, must’ve taken it personally, as he led them with 17 points, and made every big shot down the stretch.
The last two losses are frustrating in different ways, but this one hurts because as bad as you played, you had a chance to still win the game, and couldn’t find a way to get the job done. In the process, Carolina proved that they play with any team, at any stage, while also learning the areas that need the most improvement, for them to turn the losses into wins.
R.J. Davis: We’re going to start with the positives. R.J. Davis if the season were to end today, would be the ACC Player of the Year, and an All-American selection. The senior guard, scored a game-high 27 points, on 8-18 shooting, as he willed his team back from multiple double-digit deficits, to take a brief 72-71 lead. In the process of today’s game, he tied the school record of consecutive made free throws (41), which was held by current assistant, Jeff Lebo. Davis missed a foul shot that would’ve made it a 1-point deficit with over a minute left in the game, Nonetheless, Davis continues to flourish without having to share the backcourt with Caleb Love, and it’s becoming more and more clear, that this team is going to go as far as he takes them.
Cormac Ryan: Hopefully today gets Cormacy Ryan trending in the right direction, after he scored 20 points, made 4 triples, and competed for every second of his 33 minutes played. This was the player Carolina expected when they recruited him out of the transfer portal, and Carolina needs him to play this way more consistently.
Rebounding: Simply put, this isn’t a good rebounding team, and there’s a good chance that they won’t ever be a good one this season. After a 10-day layoff, Carolina showed no sign of improvement in that area, and tonight was overwhelmed from the word go. Getting out-rebounded 18-6 on the offensive glass isn’t a winning formula either, and played a big role in tonight’s loss. Down 83-81, Bradshaw missed the front end of the 1 One and One, but two Carolina players fought for the rebound before they ultimately lost to a Kentucky player. Carolina may have given up 87 points, but they held UK to 42% shooting from the field and 35% shooting from behind the arc. The rebounding was the difference.
Turnovers: In the first half, you would’ve thought that Carolina had never dribbled a basketball, as Kentucky kept taking the ball away from their hip pocket, and running down the other way for easy buckets. Over 40 minutes, Carolina turned it over 17 times, leading to 19 points for the Wildcats. When you combine the turnover problem, with the rebounding issues, it’s easy to see why Carolina fell short today.
Rotation: After looking much deeper earlier in the season, Carolina’s rotation is starting to shrink, and Hubert Davis is running out of options to turn off his bench. Jae’Lyn Withers played 19 minutes off the bench but scored just 4 points, and was picked on multiple times defensively. Seth Trimble played 16 minutes and scored 6 points. No other reserve played double-digit minutes, as Kentucky’s bench outscored UNC’s 33-14.
Up Next: Carolina is back in action on Wednesday night, when they face nationally ranked Oklahoma, in the Jumpman Invitational. Tip is set for 9 PM on ESPN.
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