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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels frontcourt will be key for a March run

By Milan Patel

MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 05: Armando Bacot #5 and Day'Ron Sharpe #11 of the North Carolina Tar Heels look on against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center on January 05, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - JANUARY 05: Armando Bacot #5 and Day'Ron Sharpe #11 of the North Carolina Tar Heels look on against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center on January 05, 2021 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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Caleb Love’s breakout 25 point game paved the way for the Tar Heels victory in Durham, but not to be forgotten, Armando Bacot coming off a 1 point game against Clemson, looked back to form against Duke with 16 points and 6 rebounds. Garrison Brooks and Day’Ron Sharpe followed suit with 12 and 11 points respectively.

The chemistry between Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks has been much improved since the beginning of the season. They showed off amazing high-low discipline and found each other when double-teamed.

When Duke was forced to go small early in the second half, they capitalized on this with Brooks finding Bacot for an easy dunk after forcing a double team. Although they only finished with a combined 5 assists, the presence they both provide down low creates mismatches against smaller teams and forces double-teams on either Brooks or Bacot, this allows Carolina to find cracks in opponents’ half-court defense, which has been a fatal flaw of some recent Roy Williams-led teams.

Having these two down low, along with the depth of Sharpe and Walker Kessler coming off the bench, can create matchup nightmares for future opponents. As the guard play also improves, evident by Love’s 25 points and the Heels shooting 66% from three, the Tar Heels’ can look back at former Carolina championship teams for guidance.

Carolina is one of the few college teams that still play with two traditional big men, and this has been a trend of the Roy Williams era in Chapel Hill involving some dynamic frontcourt duos: Sean May-Marvin Williams, Tyler Zeller-John Henson, Brice Johnson-Kennedy Meeks.

Although some of these players never finished with a championship at Carolina, it’s easy to see the dominance they brought when anchoring in the frontcourt. As the end of the regular season approaches, and Carolina’s tournament odds get better, the tandem-play of Armando Bacot and Garrison Brooks will be key for a run in March.

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