GAME INFO:
December 14, 2021
7:00pm pm Tip Off
Dean Smith Center (Capacity: 21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
TV: ESPN2
UNC given a 79.6% chance to win by ESPN
Records:
UNC: 7-2
Furman: 7-3
Last Time Out:
UNC: Beat Elon 8-63
Furman: Beat App. St 73-65
SERIES INFO:
UNC leads the all time series 20-2
Last game was in 1986, a 77-55 UNC victory
Team Leaders
Points:
UNC: Love (16.9 PPG)
Furman: A. Hunter (17.6 PPG)
Rebounds:
UNC: Bacot (9.6)
Furman: J. Slawson (8.6)
Assists:
UNC: Love (3.9)
Furman: A. Hunter (3.9)
Elon Notes:
Caleb Love had 22 points on 7-14 shooting, 4-7 from 3, 4-4 FT, 5 Rebounds, 1 assist, 4 TOs
Dawson Garcia had 22 points on 6-12 shooting, 2-4 from 3, 8-10 FT, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 TOs
RJ Davis had 11 points on 4-10 shooting, 1-4 from 3, 2-3 FT, 5 rebounds, 3 TOs
Armando Bacot had 9 points on 3-7 shooting, 3-8 FT, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
Leaky Black had 2 points, 2-2 FT, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 TOs
Anthony Harris had 6 points, 6-6 FT, 2 rebounds
Brady Manek had 4 points on 2-8 shooting, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 TOs
TEAM STATS:
39% FG (23-59)
30.4% 3 PT (7-23)
77.1% FT (27-35)
48 rebounds
11 assists
16 turnovers
12 steals
The Tar Heels got past Elon after having a week off for exams. It wasn’t entirely unexpected that they would lack energy and intensity, but it was yet another game where the Heels played down to their competition. Their first half performance was hindered by Leaky Black having to go back to the locker room just seconds into the game due to an elbow to the face while guarding Watson. Bacot then picked up 2 fouls and sat the majority of the half. Anthony Harris provided a lift in Black’s absence and provided early scoring from the free throw line. Justin Mckoy had a very quiet yet solid 5 minutes of game action.
It was the Heels’ worst shooting performance of the season, but on the bright side they still managed to put up 80 points. Their defense was lackluster to begin the game as once again, they struggled to stop dribble penetration. It improved though and really propelled them through the game. The Heels racked up 12 steals one of which led to a Caleb Love windmill dunk. 12 steals also led to 19 fast break points and 23 points off turnovers. Those totals are the highest of the season.
Back to Love. He was once again a force on the offensive end. Turnovers were an issue this game, but he made up for it by hitting a couple of DEEP 3s. Now those aren’t necessarily the shots that you want, but if those shots are now in Love’s range well that makes him pretty hard to guard. Garcia finally battled down low. He did some damage from behind the 3 point line, but he did a lot of work on the block. That’s refreshing to see as he doesn’t really operate in the post. Bacot added a very solid second half after sitting out most of the first.
The elephant in the room is definitely the freshmen. Dunn played some minutes, but looked lost on the offensive end. The usual rotational guys seemed reluctant to throw him the ball and I noticed Black pointing Dunn to a certain point several times. I know everyone was hoping to see the freshmen more this game, but we just didn’t put away a lesser team like we needed to. Styles was really the only healthy guy that didn’t play. I have been that guy and I can tell you I was that guy because of a bad attitude. I’m not saying that is the reason, I’m just saying I don’t think he rode the bench due to any physical ailments. Furman provides another opportunity for playing time if we can put them away.
Furman is not a team to be taken lightly. They have beaten Louisville and College of Charleston. Both those wins were in overtime. They have been to overtime 4 times and have won 3 of those games. This includes a double overtime win over High Point. This is a team that has been up and down. They only beat USC Upstate by 10 and lost to Winthrop. Their points per game average is also a little inflated due to 4 overtime games and a 118-66 game over North Greenville. Ever heard of them? Yeah neither have I.
They play a 9 man rotation, but the rotation is dominated by 6 guys. The rotation is as follows:
STARTERS:
J. Slawson F (Senior 6-7)
C. Garrison G (Senior 6-1)
M. Foster G (Sophomore 6-4)
M. Bothwell G (Senior 6-3)
A Hunter G (Senior 5-11)
BENCH:
J. Repass F (freshman 6-10)
A Williams F (Freshman 6-5)
G. Hien F (Sophomore 6-9)
J. Anderson G (Sophomore 6-0)
J. Pegues G (Freshman 6-1)
The core of the rotation includes the starters and Hien. Hien started the beginning of the year while Foster came off the bench. They have switched places recently. They don’t have a ton of height and their tallest guy (Repass) only averages 2.7 points a game. Only 6 players have played in all 10 games (hunter, slawson, bothwell, garrison, foster, hien). Again those are the core rotational guys. Hunter leads the team in minutes per game at 35.7. He is joined by Garrison, Bothwell, and Slawson in terms of guys that average over 30 minutes. Hien and Foster average over 20 minutes. Pegues and Anderson average between 10-15. Alex Williams averages 8.4 minutes.
The Paladins are led by Hunter, Slawson and Bothwell. All 3 have hit double figures 9 times. Garrison has been in double figures 4 times, Foster 2 times. Hien has added 3 double figure games. Williams is the only other player to score in double figures and he has done it once.
Hunter, Slawson, and Bothwell all average double figures. Things run through Hunter. Hunter is a Raleigh native, so best believe the guy plays with a chip on his shoulder when plays the triangle schools. Bothwell is obviously a very capable scorer alongside him. Slawson doesn’t have a lot of height for a forward, but he finds multiple ways to score. He is a threat to shoot the 3. He has shot 33 on the year. He has only made 10 of those attempts. I would expect him to play out on the perimeter against us considering the size difference against all of our bigs.
The paladins are another team that relies on the 3. They shoot A LOT of 3’s. Hunter is the biggest threat at 47%. His sample size is big too. He has attempted 82 3’s on the year. Manek leads our team with 47 attempts. Love has 44. The next biggest threat is Garrison at 44%. He has 56 attempts on the year. Bothwell sits at 36% (17-47). Hiens and Williams don’t have as many attempts as the guards, but they will still pull up from behind the arc. Hien has 14 attempts. He has made 5 of them. Williams is 8-18 from behind the arc. Everyone in their rotation is a threat to shoot the 3.
Furman mainly plays 4 guards and 1 forward which leaves us at a disadvantage on defense, but gives us a huge advantage on offense. I would imagine Love starts out on Hunter. Hunter is a small guard so having Love on him instead of Davis may make life more difficult for him. Davis probably starts off on Garrison. Black will get the assignment on Bothwell. Garcia most likely gets the assignment on Foster. If Hien starts instead then he will get him. Bacot gets Slawson.
No matter who starts, whether it's Foster or Hien, their lineup still features 4 seniors and a sophomore. They have a lot of youth coming off the bench. They don’t get a lot of production from the bench with the exception of Hien.
Despite their opponents shooting at a relatively high percentage they aren’t a bad defensive team. They thrive on getting steals and translating those into points. Our turnovers were high against Elon. We need to value the basketball against the Paladins.
Offensively we have some favorable matchups. I like Love against any of their guards. Slawson is a good player, but Bacot should be able to get his way in the post. Double teams need to be expected. Bacot is an underrated passer and this can lead to open 3s. It could also lead to foul trouble for Slawson which Furman can’t afford. One thing I would like to see more of are cuts to the basket when Bacot is doubled. We tend to stand around the perimeter which works when you are making shots. If the other post player cuts then Bacot can dish it off for an easy layup or dunk. We have seen this from time to time, but if we can do this consistently then it makes teams think twice about double teaming. Offensively if we run our sets we should be able to execute at a high level. Defensively we need to guard the 3 point line.
This game is on the schedule as a tune-up game, but it was also on Louisville’s schedule for the same reason. It’s our last game before heading to Vegas to play UCLA. If we look past this game to the UCLA game then we might be in trouble. Execution on both ends of the floor will put this game away.
THINGS TO WATCH FOR:
Rotation (The rotation was slightly bigger in the Elon game. Mckoy and Dunn both played. Again Harris saw extended minutes. If we are able to put this team away do we see more of Dunn and Styles? Or see Styles at all?)
Defend the 3 (Furman relies heavily on the 3. Everyone is a threat to shoot it from 3. How do our bigs do guarding one of their guards? Do we close out with our hands up? Do we play up in their face?)
Can Love keep it going? (Love has scored 22 points in 2 of the last 3 games. The other game was a 17 point effort. Can he keep up his hot shooting from deep? Does he continue to look to drive? Love’s ceiling is so high when he plays with confidence. Right now he has a ton of confidence.)
When will we see the old Walton? (Walton has not even been close to being a factor when he sees the floor. Against Elon he came in and played poor defense and then had a bad turnover. Set plays were run for him, but they were well defended. Can Hubert draw up a play to get Walton a good open look and can Walton knock it down? He just seems like he is going through the motions on the court. It would be huge to get him going.)
Teachable moments (Davis has harped on teachable moments. Elon’s game is a teachable moment for Styles. He didn’t play. None of us know why. And I'm not going to bash the guy by speculating why. How does he react to that in this game if he does or doesn’t see the floor. On bench shots, watch his body language. Is he cheering on his teammates? Does he look engaged? Does he play with intensity if he does play?)
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