UNC Basketball: Five Takeaways from the Tar Heels in November
By Alec Lasley
Lack of Toughness – stemming from the senior leaders
What may be the biggest takeaway from the first month of the season is how soft this team is, and the lack of toughness when they face adversity.
It may stem from a couple different issues but the biggest one for me if the lack of senior leadership.
In recent years, the Tar Heels have had leadership from Joel Berry, Theo Pinson, Marcus Paige, and Brice Johnson, most of which were vocal leaders, something lacking right now.
Most of the energy and toughness is coming from the freshman trio of Nassir Little, Coby White, and Leaky Black.
Nothing was more evident than against Michigan when Carolina got punched in the gut and coach Williams subbed out all five starters.
It wasn’t until a couple minutes after when Black and Michigan guard Charles Matthews and Xavier Simpson all exchanged words and had to be slightly separated by a few teammates and an official. It was a FRESHMAN that showed some of that toughness against two upperclassmen for Michigan to show that there was at least some fight still with the Tar Heels roster.
We have seen so far in games like Texas and Michigan, especially, the senior leaders (Kenny, Luke, Cam) have disappeared – a combined total of just 56 points on 35 percent shooting with nine turnovers.
It was especially evident in the game at Michigan when Cam Johnson didn’t get his first points until the 8 min mark of the second half, finishing with just seven total shot attempts and five points. His lack of energy and lethargic manner has been a talking point at times throughout his two years at Carolina and has been touched on even more this season.
For Luke Maye, the National Player of the Year candidate has been anything but so far, and it starts with his toughness.
Getting beat off the dribble, on backdoor cuts, and just physically outmatched in the paint, his inability to “fight” back and throw a punch after being hit is concerning for the Tar Heels.
Lastly, when it comes to Kenny Williams, he seems to be the most vocal on the court, but yet it still doesn’t come anywhere near to the leadership ability of the names listed from past teams. Not only has his play on the offensive end been inconsistent, but his play on the defensive end has been as well.
Ever since the opener against Wofford when Williams’ matched up against Fletcher Magee, his defense has been extremely poor, getting beat off the dribble and around screens left and right.
At one point or another, all three need to man up and put the responsibility on their shoulders and play like this is their last season in the Carolina Blue and start playing with a toughness that the leaders of old had.