Lessons Learned from the UNC basketball program's collapse at Louisville

A Q1 win was there for the taking, but North Carolina ran out of juice in the final stanza of the game.

North Carolina v Louisville
North Carolina v Louisville | Andy Lyons/GettyImages
2 of 4

Seth Trimble missed on the defensive end

Chucky Hepburn, Elliot Cadeau
North Carolina v Louisville | Andy Lyons/GettyImages

Seth Trimble missed his second game in a row. Hubert Davis desperately missed him on the defensive end. You know who did not miss him? Chucky Hepburn.

The 6-foot-2 senior was unstoppable, pouring in 26 points on 5/8 shooting from the floor. This man did not hit a single three-pointer but went 16/20 from the line! He was at the free throw line so often, he started receiving mail there.

He was a menace in zipper screen action, getting fouled by guards who couldn't stay in front of him, and dishing seven assists to his big men when UNC's post players had to double him. This sort of two-man game in the paint has been a nightmare for undersized North Carolina to deal with, but he had complete control over any and everyone Hubert Davis threw at him.

It would be interesting to see what Seth Trimble, UNC's strongest and best defender, could do to wrangle Hepburn. Maybe he would have gotten cooked too, but you'd like your chances with him better than RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau. This was a brutal mismatch.

Schedule

Schedule