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UNC Basketball: Is this Tar Heel team over-reliant on Cole Anthony?

By Carson Brown

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after making a three-point basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Cole Anthony #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after making a three-point basket against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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The NCAA basketball season is in full swing for the Tar Heels and they are off to a good start with a new look

North Carolina currently sits at 4-0 and in the No. 5 spot in the country for the AP poll and although the Heels may not have had a real test so far in the young season, they clearly are going to be competitive all year long.

The steady success from Roy Williams will continue in his 17th season, but it appears the usual style of his team will be altered. Williams tends to build his teams around depth however that ideal appears inaccessible in the 2019-20 season.

The average Tar Heels team over the past decade or so has usually come equipped with a posse of studs, but this year Williams only has one. This is no concern for Williams it’s simply different as Cole Anthony has the potential to be the best player to ever step on the court for the hall a fame coach.

After taking the time to analyze some statistics from the last decade of North Carolina basketball, it turns out that the lead conductor for Williams’ has scored 16.2 points per game on average over the last ten years, while Anthony is racking up nearly 23 points per contest.

https://twitter.com/br_CBB/status/1195556802630316033

That stat may not seem eye-opening, but when taking a glance at the overall percentage of the teams’ points from their lead guy it starts to truly show its significance. Over the past ten years, the leading scorer for the Heels has amounted for just over 20 percent of the team’s total scoring whereas Anthony’s percentage is slightly under 30.

The reliance on Anthony is obviously no serious issue because of his pure talent and his capability to lead, but someone else might need to step up and become a more viable second option if Anthony comes across a slump. Again, looking over the last ten years of Tar Heel Basketball the second option has managed to score just under 16 points per game on average compared to Garrison Brooks just averaging 12 as the second-hand man to Anthony.

The style of play from this year’s Tar Heels team will be successful as long as Cole Anthony can be consistent and continue to thrive on a nightly basis, but if the freshman guard cools off issues could arise.

Overall, Tar Heel fans cannot complain about what this team has to offer right now as the team is currently winning and Cole Anthony is as electric as anyone in college basketball.

The Tar Heels have offered a five-star PG. dark. Next

For more on the UNC Basketball program and Anthony as the season goes on, please check back with Keeping It Heel.

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