Lessons Learned from the UNC basketball program's sloppy win over Georgia Tech

The Tar Heels prevailed with a performance only a mother could love.

Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
4 of 4

Drake Powell hits his first snag

Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

Drake Powell's second game as a starter may be one to forget for the five-star freshman. At 6-foot-6, Powell is probably best used as a shooting guard or small forward but must act as a power forward for the undersized Tar Heels. He can use his outrageous wingspan to gobble up smaller guards, as demonstrated by some of his early season blocks where he engulfed ball-handlers and simply caught lay-ups rather than rejecting them into the stands.

Powell did not have that effect against the Yellow Jackets. He finished the game with zero points on just two shot attempts, both of them three-pointers. He also only collected one rebound in 15 minutes of action, and had a +/- of -7, second-worst only to Jae'Lyn Withers at -9. That is not the company you want a starter to keep.

This is a step backward for Powell, who has played at least 21 minutes per game since the Maui Invitational. He has done a good job providing North Carolina with punch without disrupting the offensive flow, but he may have been too passive against Georgia Tech. He passed up open corner threes, and when he did look for his patented mid-paint pull-up jumper, he got whistled for a travel.

If Powell continues to start at the four, he needs to find his offense a bit easier than he did against Georgia Tech. His production is now lumped in with the rest of the front court, and in the absence of my Christmas stamp, let me type it out one more time:

"North Carolina needs more production from the front court, or this season is doomed."

Schedule

Schedule