UNC Basketball: Random Observations Virginia Loss

UNC Basketball lost a hard-fought game to Virginia 65-58 on Tuesday night. The loss came without Pete Nance and a very early injury to Armando Bacot. These are my random observations. 

Tough to win a game against a good Virginia Cavaliers team without Pete Nance and Armando Bacot. Some questionable calls throughout the game made it interesting but you have to appreciate the fight in this UNC team.

Welcome to the show Jalen Washington!

Washington was called into early action and delivered his best performance of the season. He showed the promise that many believe he will have in Chapel Hill. He did not play like a freshman. I like the confidence of a player that hasn’t seen much pressure on court time.

About that pressure court time, With the Tar Heels down just three late in the game, a defensive breakdown rotation happened. That was where the lack of experience showed. Washington missed the switch but you can hardly blame him. He played great.

Without the security blanket of Armando Bacot down low, this became a matter of not enough guys being able to knock down shots. RJ Davis did his best to keep them in the game but, until Caleb Love found his stroke late, scoring was tough.

It seemed like the offense got a little stagnant again in the second half. In the first half, even after Bacot went out, there was great ball movement and off-ball action. There was a lot more standing around and the ball wasn’t popping in the second half. Credit UVA for their defense. You can’t beat that defense on the road with one-on-one play.

The sooner the Tar Heels can get Bacot and Nance back the better.

While this is a loss, we must always keep the bigger picture in mind. Tonight the bench got more experience in a tough environment. Now they must continue to build on this.

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