CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– Once you lose yourself in a game, it is very hard to get back right and eventually the hustle side of the equation takes care of itself.
Playing with a sense of urgency is a mix of good hustle and execution, whether it’s fighting to get over on a screen, successfully drawing a foul and even exploding through contact instead of shying away from it.
All of these components and then some were missing from No. 20 North Carolina’s 94-70 loss to No. 10 Alabama last night. They squandered the chance to press the reset button and instead fell to 4-4 on the season; their third straight loss.
It seemed as though the Tide knew exactly what UNC’s offense was going to run, as UNC’s main guards were held to just 21 points. Elliot Cadeau was limited to a single point when he got to the free-throw line. And the shooting struggles were all too familiar for fifth-year RJ Davis, who still struggled from beyond the arc – making just 1-of-11 of his 3-point shots. As a team, the group made just five of their 28 shots from the 3-point line, tying a season-low in makes.
“I wanted this game to go right in so many ways,” Davis said after the loss. “Just even in the first half, when I felt like we had it going, it felt like the basketball gods were on our side and we were in good hands. But I think we kind of just had a couple of slip-ups. Plays where we weren’t communicating, box outs, guards were leaking out instead of coming back to help the bigs rebound. So just plays like that
leading to their run.”
Davis also said that the communication between the guards and the bigs is a two-way street, and something that was missing last night.
The lone spark was freshman guard Ian Jackson who scored a career-high 23 points on 10-of-17 shooting, including an impressive 3-of-5 from 3-point range. His performance was the most by a freshman since Caleb Love’s 25 points versus Duke in 2021.
“He came into the game and played really well,” RJ Davis said of his teammates’ performance. “He was able to get downhill, got out in transition, knocked down open shots. I mean, that’s just a glimpse of who he is and I know he has more in the tank.”
Jackson’s ability to step up in big moments has been a constant all season, but it means nothing if the guys around him aren’t able to follow through. This team must be able to stay the course and find more connectivity as they head into ACC play against Georgia Tech on Saturday.
“I still have high expectations for his team,” Jackson said. “My demeanor about this team is not going to change.”
The underlying issue with this team seems to be the lack of energy, effort and physicality that the Tar Heels have played without in their past three losses. They aren’t the tallest and they aren’t the toughest, but they’ve yet to show the toughness and grit they need to play and finish a full 40 minutes of basketball.
The Tides’ length and athleticism across the court led to high-flying shots and easy avenues into the paint, painfully marked by the Tar Heels’ lack of an interior presence.
It’s time for this team to ignite their potential, before their narrative spirals into irrelevance and their story becomes one of unfulfilled promise and mediocrity
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