Through seven games, the 2023 UNC Basketball program has shown one glaring weakness that legend Tyler Hansbrough says must be improved.
The 2023 UNC Basketball team has begun the season 6-1 overall, including high-quality wins over Arkansas and Tennessee. The offense has reached a completely new level than we have previously seen under head coach Hubert Davis, including scoring 100 points against the Tennessee Volunteers, who were No. 1 in defensive efficiency per KenPom at the time of the matchup.
However, there is one glaring weakness that this team has shown, specifically over the last three games, that could become a problem.
Defense.
Former UNC Basketball legend Tyler Hansbrough knows what it takes to win a National Championship and compete in March and points out in a recent podcast on the Field of 68 that the 2023 Tar Heels need to make a commitment defensively.
“This North Carolina team, to me, has to make a commitment defensively, if they want to make a deep run. But their best lineup is with Cadeau running the point”@THANS50 breaking down tonight’s BIG win!!
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 30, 2023
AFTER DARK IS LIVE:https://t.co/YJhshERPK8 pic.twitter.com/BRUwTwdbLl
The biggest defensive issue is opposing players having career-type nights. In the Battle 4 Atlantis, Villanova’s Eric Dixon and Arkansas’ Tramon Mark each had 34 points against the Tar Heels. When the team returned home to face the Volunteers, it happened again, as Dalton Knecht tied the scoring record by an opposing player in the Smith Center (and would’ve likely broken it had he not gotten injured).
Tennessee's Dalton Knecht has tied the Smith Center scoring record by an opponent with 37 points (set originally by LaSalle's Lionel Simmons in 1988).
— Carolina Basketball Stats & Info (@UNCMBBStats) November 30, 2023
Right now, the Tar Heels are missing that lockdown defender they had in Leaky Black for the last several years. Who will become this year’s guy who draws the opposing team’s best scorer on a nightly basis? And will they be able to limit the scoring?
The UNC Basketball program currently ranks 37th in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom and will face some talented offenses coming up as they play UConn (No. 6 in adjusted offensive efficiency) and Kentucky (No. 3 in adjusted offensive efficiency) over the next 16 days.
Defense leads to offense, and the Tar Heel offense has shown us that they can be one of the best across all of college basketball. Now, as Hansbrough tells us, they just need to commit to playing defense more consistently.
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