UNC (5-2, 0-0 ACC) shot 27.9% from the floor for the game, by far its worst shooting performance of the season. The rim seemed to have a lid on it as balls were rolling around and dropping out all night long. Kennedy Meeks led the Heels with a solid double-double of 15 points, 12 rebounds; however, the rest of the team lacked the passion, heart, and toughness, tonight, that it will take to obtain the goal of a banner season. Iowa (6-2, 0-0 Big Ten) defended well by forcing UNC to heave up more three point shots than the Heels have been accustomed to taking this year. And, those shots were not falling. A miserable 17.4% 3-pt percentage (4 of 23) was another sign that Carolina's offense experienced major problems putting the ball in the basket. Tar Heel superstar Paige had a night to forget from the field. Paige shot 4-16 from the field, including 3-12 from 3-pt range. And, even when his shots don't fall, the junior from Marion, Iowa usually can get others involved. Very strangely, Paige finished with zero assists.
Now, Iowa did not have a great shooting performance, either. The Hawkeyes only shot 32.7% from the field in this one, but it was its offensive rebounding prowess in the second half that gave the Black and Gold the advantage in the end. Starters Jared Uthoff, Aaron White, and Adam Woodbury combined for 26 rebounds against the Heels, 9 of those were on the offensive end. And they usually were followed up by a strong move to the basket, forcing Carolina to foul. And, that is where Iowa excelled as well. The Hawkeyes were extremely efficient from the free-throw line, making 21 of 24 free throws (87.5%). Even though Carolina had its best night from the free throw line (76.5%), it was the free-throws made advantage of Iowa that played a huge role in the Hawkeyes' upset victory.
After the loss to Butler in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in the Bahamas and being dominated on the offensive glass in that game, Carolina challenged its toughness and desire for loose balls and came back hungry to aggressively beat UCLA and Florida. But, the meek and not-so-tough side of the Tar Heels showed up in Chapel Hill Wednesday and paid the ultimate price...defeat. UNC Coach Roy Williams expressed his concern for the toughness of his team at this point.
When asked about this, Coach Williams said, "Yeah. They (Iowa) wanted it more than we did and that's a sorry thing to say. It's a sad thing to say. We gave up 12 points on offensive rebounds...(Iowa had) 16 offensive rebounds in the second half. And, again, we still had opportunities, and we missed some opportunities."
A bright spot for the Heels was the play of J.P. Tokoto, especially in the first half when nothing was going right for Carolina. Tokoto basically put the Heels on his shoulders as he scored, rebounded and dished out assists when no one else on the team was even close to performing at a high level. Tokoto had 7 pts, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists at the half and he was instrumental in a 9-0 Carolina 2nd half run that put Carolina on top 45-40 with 8 minutes to go in the game. But, the story of the game, Carolina could not finish. Period.
Multiple times the Heels would have a point-blank chance at a layup and the ball just would not drop through the net. Frustrated at times, Carolina seemed to slack up on the backboards and get lazy. Brice Johnson had a horrible night. The Carolina junior picked up three quick fouls in the first half relegating him to the bench and being a non-factor through the whole contest. He finished with only 2 points and 4 rebounds in just 12 minutes of on-court action. Johnson will have to dig deep and find a way to stay on the court to contribute or Carolina's depth in the post will not have the same bite as it should. Brice spoke about his foul trouble woes after the game.
"I try to stay aggressive as possible. But at the end of the day I still have to remember that they're looking at me. I try to stay within myself and just play the game I know how to play, but ultimately you have to alter that a little just a bit because you are in foul trouble. You can't do some things."
The takeaway from this game for Carolina is that it does not want to get in the habit of being a Jekyll and Hyde type of team (one game full of toughness and desire, the next full of laziness and mistakes). Nothing good can come of that. This team must buckle down, focus, practice, practice, practice. The first step is recognizing the issue...then, correcting the issue...then, making that correction a habit. The Heels are searching for that almighty Heart and, being early in the season, Carolina has just enough time to reel it in.
UNC Freshman Justin Jackson (who shot only 3 of 9 from the field versus Iowa) hit the nail on the head in his interview by responding with, "Right now it's just a gut check. We've all got to look inside ourselves and figure out if we want to be a good team or not, and I think we'll be able to turn it around." Jackson finishes with, "But right now it's nothing to do with the offense, it's just inside of us, the heart that we need to show."
With gigantic non-conference games versus Kentucky and Ohio State on the horizon along with the ACC slate beginning soon, Carolina must toughen up and find its Mo-Jo right away or be swallowed up by the other sharks. Today marks a defining moment in the Tar Heels' season, I believe, and whether the Heels can summon its true grit and determination for every single game moving forward. As a Tar Heel alum and fan of the game, I have a sneaky suspicion the coaches and players will find a way to keep that fire burning inside.
Next Game: #12 North Carolina (5-2, 0-0 ACC) vs East Carolina (4-4, 0-0 AAC)
Date/Time: Sunday, December 7, 2014 @ 3:00pm EST
Location: Dean E. Smith Center in Chapel Hill, NC
TV/Radio: ESPNU / Tar Heel Sports Network
Great analysis! I love how it doesn't involve much about offensive and defensive strategies. Because, at this point and as you said, its about toughness and determination! Hopefully we'll be able to look within and find that drive to lock us in for the rest of the season. GO HEELS!
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