UNC Basketball: Tar Heels win streak ends with loss to Florida State
The UNC basketball team’s three-game win streak comes to an end, as the Tar Heels drop a close afternoon battle at Florida State.
It was a close game throughout, but the UNC basketball team ultimately fell short in their afternoon matchup at Florida State on Saturday afternoon.
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After shooting 70.7% from the floor (and 66.7% from three) against NC State earlier in the week, the Seminoles followed that up with yet another good shooting performance. Even without star freshman guard Scottie Barnes, Florida State shot 48% from the floor and made 50% of their three-point attempts. As a unit, the Seminoles also knocked down 26 of their 27 free throw attempts.
Throughout the game, the Tar Heels showed a lot of promise. Even at times where it felt as if the game was going to slip away, Roy Williams’ team continued to battle, keeping the game within single digits for the majority of the second half.
The major storyline in this game is the return of redshirt freshman guard Anthony Harris. For the first time since December 30, 2019, Harris saw himself in the game, making just his sixth appearance in a Tar Heels uniform.
We didn’t see Harris until the second half, but right away the Woodbridge, VA native made a major impact.
In 9 minutes of action, Harris recorded five points (made both of his shot attempts) and tied for the team-high with three assists. Yes, it’s a small sample size, but Harris showed just how valuable he could be for this team down the stretch given the skills he possesses.
Turnovers and sloppy play continue to haunt the Tar Heels, as they allowed 22 points off their 14 turnovers. The Tar Heels also got out-rebounded (which doesn’t happen often), and also failed to capitalize on some second-chance opportunities.
Offensively, the Tar Heels did show some promise, as they knocked down a season-best 10 three pointers. They also did a solid job of distributing the basketball, as they 19 assists on 27 baskets was their second-highest total of the season.
The Tar Heels got a bulk of their contributions from their freshman. The combination of R.J. Davis, Kerwin Walton and Caleb Love combined for 41 of the Tar Heels 75 points on the afternoon.
Davis led the Tar Heels with 16 points, and was rather effective, as he knocked down six of his 9 shot attempts. Walton continues to shoot the ball well, as he added 14 points on 5-13 shooting (four of his makes were three-point attempts). Although he wasn’t as efficient as Davis or Walton, Love added 11 points of his own. This is the first time that Love has scored in double figures since the N.C. State game back on December 22.
For the Seminoles, M.J. Walker led all scorers with 21 points. RaiQuan Gray added 19 points of his own for Florida State.
Yes, it’s definitely a disappointing loss, but this should be considered a game in which the Tar Heels definitely made progress. Since the start of ACC play, this young team has started to improve, and all signs point to them continuing that trend moving forward.
As time goes on, it will be interesting to see what type of role Harris is able to play. Given his return from injury, it’s not likely that he’ll see a heavy dose of minutes at any point soon, but it’s a great sign to see him healthy enough to be able to contribute. Having him available will give Williams even more options to work with as he continues to mix-and-match to find the right formulas for this team.
The Tar Heels will look to get back on track Wednesday night, as Wake Forrest makes a trip to Chapel Hill. Tip-off is scheduled for 9:00 PM, and the game will be televised on the ACC Network.
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