Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Five Resolutions for the Tar Heels in the New Year

By Alec Lasley

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches his team play against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 16, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels watches his team play against the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 16, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 15: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs battles Luke Maye #32 and Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for a rebound during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 15: Brandon Clarke #15 of the Gonzaga Bulldogs battles Luke Maye #32 and Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for a rebound during the first half of their game at the Dean Smith Center on December 15, 2018 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

Limiting the Turnovers

There is no question that one of the glaring negatives this team has is with its inability to hold on to the ball.

Averaging 14 turnovers per game, the highest in nine years, the Tar Heels have been giving their opponents multiple easy buckets each and every game, just by turning the ball over, which leads to many fast break buckets.

Adrian Atkinson breaks down the results on the other end of the floor following the turnover for the Tar Heels opponents.

The Tar Heels turn the ball over on 18.1 percent of its possessions, ranking them 118th in the country. A team that already struggles on the defensive end is hurting themselves even more with the inability to keep possession.

What is even more frustrating is, besides mainly Coby White who is almost always in attack mode, most of these turnovers or unforced, just due to a mental lapse or carelessness.

In Carolina’s three losses this year, they are averaging close to 16 turnovers per game, with a -.3 assist-to-turnover ratio, compared to +7.5 in wins.

It just comes down to Carolina being mentally tough and aggressive with the ball. Going through the motions on the offensive end, which is what it looks like during some games, is a cause for a lot of the mistakes.

Hopefully, the New Year brings more of mental toughness to the Tar Heels as they head into the gauntlet of ACC play.

Home/UNC Basketball