Heel Tough Blog: Notre Dame Preview

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After going 0-2 last week while on the West Coast, the Tar Heels are back home tonight, as they host Notre Dame, looking to get back to .500 in ACC play. The two losses last week dropped Carolina from 14th to 22nd in the AP Poll, and they fell in the all-important NET rankings after suffering two more Quad 1 defeats. They are hoping that getting back to the East Coast, and the Smith Center, where the team is 11-0 this season, will help get the team closer to playing to the level they were playing at back in non-conference play. 

Notre Dame arrives in Chapel Hill on a current four-game losing streak after winning their ACC opener. To make matters worse, the Fighting Irish will be without their leading scorer, Markus Burton, who has been out since early December with an ankle injury, and won’t be available tonight for Micah Shrewsberry. Outside of Burton, Notre Dame only has two other players who average double-figures scoring, but given how much Carolina has struggled defensively, that might not mean much. They are top-10 in the country in opponent offensive rebounds per game, where they only allow 8.4 per contest.  

In the loss to Cal, Hubert Davis did make a number of adjustments, beginning with the starting lineup, where he inserted Derek Dixon into the starting lineup over Kyan Evans. In addition to that adjustment, Carolina did play some 2-3, primarily in the first half, before deploying a full-court press, the final 8 minutes, which helped them cut a 19-point deficit to four points, with less than 1:30 left to play. Carolina has to hope that the energy they played with over the final 8 minutes or so can carry over into tonight’s game, because the results won’t change until Carolina’s desire does. 

Believe it or not, tonight is the final home game of the month of January, with a road trip to Virginia and Georgia Tech to close out the month. It will be interesting to see the energy in the building tonight, after going 0-2 out west, and frustration rising within the fan base. Carolina has filled the Smith Center up on a nightly basis, so far this season, but will tonight’s crowd be one that’s behind the home team? Only time will tell. 

1. Sense of Urgency: According to Hubert Davis, the biggest issue in the loss to Cal was a lack of urgency, moreso than the defensive perimeter issues, or the missed foul shots. Now he was empowered to believe that, because when the team played with urgency in the final 8 minutes, they cut a 19-point deficit down to four. What we’ve learned about this UNC team over the last two weeks is that they aren’t talented enough to not play hard for 40 minutes, if they hope to win ACC games, home and away. If they aren’t to play hard for 40 minutes, they’ll find themselves in another close game, against an overmatched opponent.  

2. Feature Caleb Wilson for 40 Minutes: In addition to playing hard from start to finish, they need to feature Caleb Wilson for the entire game as well. In the loss to Cal, Wilson only took one shot across the final 10:19 of the game, and that was after only taking two shots in the first 8:24. There’s not a reason for Wilson to take fewer than 15 shots in the game, and that’s with the expectation of him taking anywhere from 6-8 foul shots as well. This team plays at its best when Wilson and Veesaar are touching the ball and initiating the offense through the high post, but it’s up to the guards to give him the basketball, so he can make plays for himself and his teammates. 

3. Maximize Guard Minutes: With Derek Dixon being inserted into the starting lineup, the backcourt position is once again in flux, which shouldn’t be the case this deep into the season. For whatever reason, Jonathan Powell isn’t getting the run his skill set demands, as he’s the best shooter on the roster and a willing and able defender on the perimeter. Jaydon Young has carved out a role, but it’s not consistent, and it needs to be, because his shooting and defense needs to be on the floor on a nightly basis. We haven’t seen many three-guard lineups so far this season, but with inconsistent play from Luka Bogavac, there’s no reason to not give it a shot. 

Series History: 

• Carolina is 32-9, all-time against Notre Dame, having won 5 straight. Since the Fighting Irish joined the ACC, Carolina is 16-5, including 9-1 in the Smith Center, with six straight wins. 

KenPom: 

• North Carolina - 35th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 122.1 (33rd) Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 103.2 (51st) 

• Notre Dame - 78th overall. Adjusted Offensive Efficiency: 114.7 (103rd) Adjusted Defensive Efficiency: 103.6 (60th) 

NET:

• North Carolina - 30th. 

• Notre Dame - 81st. 

TV Info: 

• Tonight’s game will air at 7 PM, on ESPN2. 

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