Panic at Chapel Hill! How concerned should we be about
North Carolina had a 15-point lead entering halftime of last season’s NCAA championship game versus Kansas. The Tar Heels would eventually lose that match– however they went into the 2022-23 season as the No. 1 team in America and the nationwide title favorite. Hubert Davis had, after all, returned key players from that Last Four team and included Northwestern move Pete Nance to change Brady Manek.But November wasn’t kind to the Tar Heels, who lost their 3rd successive game Wednesday– all to ranked challengers– with a 77-65 loss at Indiana. The preseason buzz is gone now. And a North Carolina squad that still has matches versus Virginia Tech, Ohio State and Michigan prior to it begins the bulk of its ACC slate in January must find some answers soon.ESPN’s Jeff Borzello, John Gasaway, Joe Lunardi and Myron Medcalf discuss how Hubert Davis can right the ship, what all of it methods for its seeding– and whether we’re overreacting to 3 losses by the previous No. 1. North Carolina has 3 consecutive losses (Iowa State, Alabama, Indiana ). What have these losses taught us about the previous No. 1? 2 Associated That UNC is one unusual preseason No. 1. According to ESPN Statistics & Information research study, it is just the fourth
such group in 62 years to lose three consecutive games.Thus far in 2022-23, the Tar Heels have been less efficient on both sides of the ball. Part of that is simply the good fortune they experienced last March,
when six NCAA tournament challengers shot 27% on their threes. Those days are gone. Overlooking a 3-of-13 performance by Indiana, challengers this season are connecting a far more customary 35 %on threes. North Carolina’s interior D hasn’t been especially difficult either.Meanwhile, Caleb Love and Nance are shooting a combined 29%from 3, and– I never ever thought I would type these words with reference to the Tar Heels– the team as a whole is attempting chance ats a remarkably regular volume. There’s work to do in Chapel Hill.– John Gasaway So, is it time to panic yet?Losses take place, and Iowa State, Alabama and Indiana are all excellent groups. However the way the Hoosiers bullied North Carolina for most of Wednesday’s game would cause me to worry if I was a fan of the Tar Heels. Indiana had
50 points in the paint, more than
doubling up North Carolina around the rim. It shot 57%inside the arc and outscored the Tar Heels in transition.When North Carolina was at its best under Roy Williams, it had to do with two-big lineups and the secondary break. However Indiana was harder, more physical and more aggressive.There are simply a lot of concerns today. The Tar Heels are shooting 30% from 3; the magic that assisted Caleb Love carry them in the NCAA competition is gone; Armando Bacot and Pete Nance aren’t clicking quite in addition to Bacot and Brady Manek did; the bench has been mostly nonexistent this season.
A few of this things will be worked out as the season advances, however the important things that were so reliable during the NCAA tournament run simply aren’t happening today.– Jeff Borzello What does Hubert Davis require to do to restore his group’s season?He has mastered the very first task. Davis continues to preach perseverance within his program. As North Carolina coped the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland over Thanksgiving weekend, he said it was most important for his group to be No. 1 in April, not November. And the Tar Heels ‘Final 4 run proved that a
group can stumble through the college basketball season for months and still end with a marvelous surface. They simply need to keep thinking they’ll turn the corner. Monday through Friday, host Pablo Torre brings you an inside take a look at the most interesting stories at ESPN, as informed by the top reporters and insiders on the planet. Listen However Davis also needs to communicate a greater sense of urgency, especially with his group’s offending flaws. He prefers the NBA style and allows his players to produce, which is fine when you have NBA talent. But a team that’s shooting 30%from 3 line is not that.In the team’s three successive losses, Love and R.J. Davis was accountable for 115 of the group’s 200 field goal attempts (58%). North Carolina won’t beat top programs with more disciplined and efficient guard
play unless they can be drivers for a team that needs to be better at finding the best shot on every possession, and getting rid of the hero ball that has affected its season.– Myron Medcalf A lot of games will be played between now and the next edition of Bracketology. How far might the Tar Heels
fall after this loss?First things first: No one needs to marvel North Carolina isn’t the very best team in the country. The Tar Heels were constantly a prospect to move from the No. 1 ranking– in part because they had only one method to go, and in majority because they are just the most recent example of a group evaluated more by what took place in March than by the 4 months preceding it.That said, losing to three straight NCAA-level challengers is cause for issue. It’s not like
UNC is in threat of missing the competition, but a go back to the Final 4 is a whole lot much easier for a No. 1 seed than the 5-seed it had already
fallen to in this week’s bracket. A win at Virginia Tech on Sunday would likely keep the Heels on that line, however another loss would imply a minimum of another seed line drop.– Joe Lunardi