Four guard line-up is gone
After an initial sputter at Clemson, Hubert Davis is starting to get a tune out of a more traditional line-up. Earlier in the season when Ian Jackson started heating up, Coach Davis put out a four guard line-up in order to get his best players on the floor at the same time. What it cost the team was balance. Already undersized, it was like North Carolina was willingly fighting with one hand tied behind its back.
With Jae'Lyn Withers entering the starting line-up, UNC has a stretch four who can bang bodies down low, a job that would have otherwise gone to the 6-foot-4 Ian Jackson. For the NC State game, Hubert Davis went one further, putting Seth Trimble in a familiar sixth man role in order to get 6-foot-6 Drake Powell in as the small forward.
Everything about UNC's play looked more coherent with this kind of line-up. The Tar Heels outrebounded the Wolfpack 40-21, and limited State to seven offensive rebounds. UNC's defense and superlative rebounding helped push the tempo, and the Heels looked excellent on the break, making play after play all over the floor.
And don't think that Seth Trimble and Ian Jackson suffered from not starting. They played 26 and 21 minutes respectively, scoring 15 and 12 points. Having this kind of firepower in reserve is something worth considering moving forward.