Lessons Learned from UNC basketball's hard fought win over Louisville

Free Throw Woes

I'm getting kind of sick of writing about free throws.

I wish North Carolina hit them at a healthy rate. But once again, the Tar Heels hit less than half of their freebies, and when you leave 10 points on the table and only win a game by three points (against a team that takes and makes a TON of threes), you're leaving a lot to chance.

Seth Trimble, who had a career night scoring the basketball, was actually respectable from the line (7/11), but he missed two on one trip, and missed the front end of a one-and-one. That's essentially two turnovers. Jarin Stevenson, a good shooter when he attempts shots, was just 1/4. He has the nerve to make them, as we witnessed in Charlottesville, so whatever has him consternated needs to be resolved.

When Louisville made their big push with 2:49 left in the game and UNC up 11, those missed free throws loomed ominously in my mind. Fortunately, the Tar Heels did enough to hang on, but they did just enough. This game could have easily slipped away. Make your free throws! And Tar Heel Nation... pray.