CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– North Carolina basketball played a complete 40 minutes of basketball for perhaps the first time all season, staving off the SMU Mustangs with a 82-67 win in the Smith Center last night.
Despite being 16 games into the season, the Tar Heels have struggled to maintain consistent energy throughout games. They’ve been unpredictable, either starting strong in the first half before fading in the second, or mounting late-game comebacks that fell short.
The team’s turning point came after their New Year’s Day loss at Louisville, forcing them to reevaluate their identity as they entered ACC play. The Tar Heels followed this up with a dramatic win 74-73 at Notre Dame on Saturday, illustrated by Elliot Cadeau’s four-point play with just 4.8 seconds remaining.
The Mustangs entered Tuesday’s game as the ACC’s highest-scoring offense, but the loss dropped tem just below Carolina in the rankings. The Tar Heels now own the top spot in the conference – averaging 84.4 points per game to SMU’s 84.1.
UNC (9-6, 2-1 ACC) was led by their fifth-year guard RJ Davis who looked the best he has all season finishing with 26 points.
“I think I did a good job of taking what the defense gave me today,” Davis said. “Hitting my open shots, I was more efficient, I did a lot of good things other than scoring. I was able to penetrate and kick when we were playing zone, find open shooters so it was more about just playing my game and not overdoing it.”
Since the start of the season Davis has struggled to find his shot and embrace the leadership role previously shared with departed players like Armando Bacot, Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan – who all shared the role with Davis last season.
While his inconsistent performance raised questions about his leadership and impact, Davis has been focused on improvement, studying film and working with assistant coach May and Marcus Paige to refine his technique.
“In the beginning of the year I was rushing my shot as opposed to just shooting the basketball and being patient with it,” he said. “I feel like I was pressed a little bit. Now when I make a shot my feet are set and I have a more relaxed position.”
With RJ back to his form, the Tar Heels can count on their guard rotation. Freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell were bright spots last night, contributing 18 points and 17 respectively. Junior Seth Trimble is also back in the lineup after missing three games with an upper body injury.
The team’s success moving forward will depend on sharing the wealth and strong defensive communication. Against a potent SMU offense, the Tar Heel big men showed what Davis called “heart over height,” battling in the post and creating opportunities for their guards to convert on the other end.
Though Jalen Washington didn’t score, his four blocks demonstrated an increasing defensive presence. This kind of production from the frontcourt will be essential to complement the guards’ performance.
The Tar Heels must maintain this momentum as they trek towards March. Their next challenge comes Saturday against NC State at the Lenovo Center at 4:00 p.m.
