Heel Tough Blog: Georgia Recap
We told you after the win over Wyoming earlier this week that the level of play we’ve seen from the Tar Heels so far this season wasn’t going to be sustainable, and it proved true last night, in a disappointing 78-70 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Carolina, who trailed 38-31 at the half, built a 60-51 lead, but was outscored 28-10 down the stretch, as their half-court offense got bogged down, in large part due to poor shot selection from Neo Avdalas, who continues to struggle in Carolina Blue. Carolina shot just 33% from the field last night, and an even worse 24% from behind the arc, in a game where they set the school record for three-pointers attempted (38), but only made 9 of them, led by Terrence Brown, who paced the UNC offense with 21 points but failed to score across the final 5:17 of the game. Meanwhile, Georgia shot 39% from behind the arc, on 14 makes, with Kanon Catchings, a former UNC target in the transfer portal, and Blue Cain combining to go 9-19 from behind the arc. Three Bulldogs scored at least 17 points in their road win in Chapel Hill, as they never panicked, even after Carolina built a nine-point lead, and the Dean Dome was as loud as it has been in any game so far this season.
The rebounding woes for the Tar Heels were once again on display last night, with Georgia outrebounding UNC 52-43, including 18-16 on the offensive glass. In key late-game possessions, Carolina failed to finish possessions with a defensive rebound, including one possession where Georgia grabbed three offensive boards, eventually leading to an open three-pointer. Combine that sequence with a missed box-out on a free throw, and Malone’s patience is running thin with his team. Maximo Adams led UNC with 11 rebounds off the bench, and Jarin Stevenson added 7, along with Sayon Keita’s 6, but Carolina still has plenty of room to improve in that department.
Carolina was never going to go undefeated this season, but a home loss to a Georgia team that was picked to finish 11th in the SEC, combined with the struggles against Western Carolina and Wyoming, is more than cause for concern. With a week off, it’s fair to expect everything to be re-evaluated before next Friday’s home game against Marshall, and hopefully this is a great learning experience that leads to better basketball down the road. In the meantime, we have to dwell on last night’s frustrations, which are higher than they should be before Thanksgiving. Here’s what to take away from the loss to Georgia:
Shot Selection: Carolina’s offense last night was an absolute mess in the half-court, hardly running anything, and settling for contested shots, both from the midrange and the outside. Carolina took 73 shots last night, and 38 of them (a school record), were from behind the arc, meaning that nearly 52% of Carolina’s shots were from behind the arc, and when they aren’t falling like they weren’t last night, this is the result. When you don’t have a post threat, it makes generating offense that much harder, and Georgia was able to clamp down Carolina’s guards, with their size, and their length, and produced one of the worst shooting nights in the history of the Smith Center.
Neo Avdalas: Michael Malone has to figure out a way to get the most out of Neo Avdalas, who, so far, has yet to prove why Malone went about building his first UNC roster around him. Avdalas was benched in the first half after committing three early turnovers. He responded early in the second half with 8 quick points, but finished the second half shooting just 4-11, including 0-3 from the outside, and took Carolina’s offense completely out of rhythm with his poor shot selection and decision-making. If this is who Neo Avdalas is going to be, his role as a starter and his minutes seriously need to be reconsidered in the week off.
Discipline: If you listen to what Michael Malone had to say after the game, he wasn’t pleased with his team’s attention to detail, struggling to execute the game plan they had put together entering the game. Knowing Georgia’s desire to launch from the perimeter, Carolina never fully ran them off the three-point line and, at times, failed to rotate and contest shots. For the majority of the season, Carolina hasn’t allowed their offensive struggles to impact what they’ve done defensively, but that seemed to be the case last night, failing to get back in transition multiple times as well. Right now, Carolina’s margin for error isn’t as high as you’d think it would be, given the financial investment into the roster, and that means they have to play and compete at a higher level, for a longer period of time, than what they are doing right now.
Rotation: Malone wasn’t afraid to give extended minutes to Isaiah Denis and Maximo Adams last night, and both need to be considered for a possible starting role, given the struggles of Avdalas and Stevenson. Denis scored 11 points off the bench last night and went 3-for-7 from behind the arc. Maximo Adams struggled from the field, going just 1-for-8, but led Carolina in rebounds with 11, and Malone opted to play him down the stretch over Jarin Stevenson. Malone is still experimenting to figure out which lineups work and which don’t, but after four games, it’s unclear what the best 5 for this team looks like.
Finishing Possessions: This isn’t just on the defensive end; it’s also a problem on the offensive end as well. Carolina missed two dunks last night and went 10-for-16 on layups, meaning they shot 56% at the rim, which isn’t good enough.
Free Throws: On a night where Carolina struggled to find consistent offense, the foul line wasn’t an equalizer for them either, going 13-for-19 (68%). This is now the third game this season where Carolina has shot 71% or worse from the foul line.
Up Next: Carolina is off until next Friday, when they host the Marshall Thundering Herd. Tip is set for 9 PM on the ACC Network.
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