Midway through the season, the Tar Heels have failed to solidify a late-game lineup that produces consistent results.
Last Saturday against Virginia, Hubert Davis took a huge chance, taking out his starting center Henri Veesaar for the final 5:25 of game time, and it ended up paying off with a huge road victory. Now the Tar Heels have a few lineups I could see them using, depending on the opposing team's lineup.
If North Carolina is playing against a team with a traditional center, the most effective lineup would be PG: Derek Dixon, SG: Seth Trimble, SF: Jarin Stevenson, PF: Caleb Wilson, C: Henri Veesaar.
This lineup gives UNC the best chance to protect the paint and finish defensive possessions with a rebound. On the offensive end, they can hunt for mismatches with this ultra-big lineup. Stevenson and Veesaar being able to space the floor gives the Tar Heels enough room to attack one-on-one against the smaller defender and not have to worry as much about help-side defense rotating and messing up their rhythm.
If North Carolina is playing against a point forward like Thijs De Ridder, the most effective lineup for switches would be PG: Derek Dixon, SG: Jonathan Powell, SF: Seth Trimble, PF: Caleb Wilson, C: Jarin Stevenson.
Even though Powell's minutes have dwindled recently, I believe he would fit this lineup better than Luka Bogavac because of his size, rebounding ability, and overall better defense. Luka was on the floor at the end of the game against Virginia and didn't get a shot attempt up. He was primarily sitting in the corner, and Powell can catch and shoot better than anyone, but on the other end, Luke is a liability.
The Tar Heels will be able to switch more freely with Powell because he won't be as overwhelmed guarding bigs, which will result in guys dropping to help Luka and giving up open threes.
Fans, for the most part, would rather avoid a late-game lineup and have North Carolina win decisively, but in a stacked ACC, close games are inevitable. Having a few different rotations to throw out there, depending on what lineup the other team has, gives the Tar Heels more versatility than the majority of the top schools.