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We’ve entered March Madness, and many Americans will be secretly watching the tournament while at work or in classrooms.
For North Carolina fans, the question is what happened to the team they saw against Kansas and in the first Duke game, compared with the one they saw against Miami, NC State and Duke the second time around.
Here are some takeaways from what transpired in the regular season — the highs and the lows.
It’s a shame his season was cut short because he was having arguably the best season a freshman has ever had at UNC.
He was UNC’s leading scorer (19.8 points per game) and rebounder (9.4 rebounds per game) before his season-ending injury. He also averaged 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks, which are still team highs. Wilson recorded 11 double-doubles, tied for the second most for a freshman in program history.
Wilson rewrote the Tar Heels’ record book for scoring, rebounding, 20-point games and double-doubles by a freshman.
Despite his injury, he was a first-team All-ACC selection and had the second-most votes behind Cameron Boozer by just 15 votes.
Seth Trimble finished his career with his best season of the four years he spent in Chapel Hill, averaging 14 points and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the floor — all career highs. On top of that, his game-winning buzzer-beater to beat Duke will be remembered forever in Chapel Hill and around the Triangle as one of the greatest moments in the history of the Carolina-Duke rivalry.
However, what makes Trimble so unique is that he was one of 22 players who spent all four seasons at one power-conference school. That illustrates how much NIL and the transfer portal have changed college athletics, especially college basketball.
Outside of Trimble, the backcourt has been brutal to watch. Not only is its perimeter defense terrible, it can’t score either. Outside of Trimble and Luka Bogavac, no other UNC guard or wing is shooting 40% or better from the field.
Kyan Evans, who was brought in from Colorado State via the transfer portal to be Carolina’s point guard and bolster its 3-point shooting, has averaged only 4.1 points while shooting just 32% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. He was eventually benched for Derek Dixon, but the freshman has struggled as well, shooting just 36% from the field.
North Carolina was one of the better interior teams in the country entering conference play. However, by the end of the regular season, cracks were beginning to show.
By the end of ACC play, this UNC team was worse in league play in both offensive rebounding percentage (28.8) and opponent offensive rebounding percentage (29.4) than last year’s smaller group (29.8 offensive rebounding, 26.8 opponent offensive rebounding).
Overall, the Tar Heels rank 91st nationally in opponent offensive rebounding percentage (28.6), the program’s worst mark since 2015-16. Making matters worse for UNC, Wilson had been the team’s best rebounder at both ends. The freshman posted a 22.2 defensive rebounding percentage, good for 88th nationally.
UNC was also outscored in the paint in seven of its last 13 games of the regular season, including both meetings with Duke. Some of those games were the result of Wilson being out, including the infamous 82-58 blowout loss to NC State, when both he and Veesaar were sidelined. However, there were three games during that stretch in which UNC was outscored in the paint with Wilson on the court: Miami, Syracuse and Virginia. So this isn’t just a post-Wilson issue.
It’s also an issue with roster construction, as UNC’s roster this season was built to be a better rebounding team with considerable size added at each position.
The Tar Heels have allowed opponents to shoot 34.5% from beyond the arc, which ranks 238th nationally and 14th in the conference, and there were nine games in which UNC allowed opponents to shoot 40% or better from downtown. The Tar Heels were last in conference play in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 38.5% from beyond the arc.
North Carolina is shooting 68.4% from the free-throw line, which ranks 315th nationally and 15th in the ACC. Only two players are shooting 75% or better: Jaydon Young (75%) and Derek Dixon (81.8%). UNC’s three leading scorers — Caleb Wilson, Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar — are shooting a poor 67.2%, 67.2% and 62%, respectively. That’s not good at all.
This has plagued UNC all season, especially in some of its closer games. Free throw shooting has been the reason why teams have made late rallies on Carolina or why it loses close games. Case in point: its 80-79 loss to Clemson in the ACC Tournament, when it missed seven free throws. Make just two of those, and UNC likely completes the comeback and remains in the hunt for its first ACC Tournament title since 2016.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: The biggest takeaways from the regular season
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For North Carolina fans, the question is what happened to the team they saw against Kansas and in the first Duke game, compared with the one they saw against Miami, NC State and Duke the second time around.
Here are some takeaways from what transpired in the regular season — the highs and the lows.
Caleb Wilson's season will be remembered forever
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It’s a shame his season was cut short because he was having arguably the best season a freshman has ever had at UNC.
He was UNC’s leading scorer (19.8 points per game) and rebounder (9.4 rebounds per game) before his season-ending injury. He also averaged 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks, which are still team highs. Wilson recorded 11 double-doubles, tied for the second most for a freshman in program history.
Wilson rewrote the Tar Heels’ record book for scoring, rebounding, 20-point games and double-doubles by a freshman.
Despite his injury, he was a first-team All-ACC selection and had the second-most votes behind Cameron Boozer by just 15 votes.
Seth Trimble is a relic of what College Basketball once was
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Seth Trimble finished his career with his best season of the four years he spent in Chapel Hill, averaging 14 points and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 47.2% from the floor — all career highs. On top of that, his game-winning buzzer-beater to beat Duke will be remembered forever in Chapel Hill and around the Triangle as one of the greatest moments in the history of the Carolina-Duke rivalry.
However, what makes Trimble so unique is that he was one of 22 players who spent all four seasons at one power-conference school. That illustrates how much NIL and the transfer portal have changed college athletics, especially college basketball.
Backcourt has been disappointing
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Outside of Trimble, the backcourt has been brutal to watch. Not only is its perimeter defense terrible, it can’t score either. Outside of Trimble and Luka Bogavac, no other UNC guard or wing is shooting 40% or better from the field.
Kyan Evans, who was brought in from Colorado State via the transfer portal to be Carolina’s point guard and bolster its 3-point shooting, has averaged only 4.1 points while shooting just 32% from the field and 30% from beyond the arc. He was eventually benched for Derek Dixon, but the freshman has struggled as well, shooting just 36% from the field.
Interior play sputtered late
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North Carolina was one of the better interior teams in the country entering conference play. However, by the end of the regular season, cracks were beginning to show.
By the end of ACC play, this UNC team was worse in league play in both offensive rebounding percentage (28.8) and opponent offensive rebounding percentage (29.4) than last year’s smaller group (29.8 offensive rebounding, 26.8 opponent offensive rebounding).
Overall, the Tar Heels rank 91st nationally in opponent offensive rebounding percentage (28.6), the program’s worst mark since 2015-16. Making matters worse for UNC, Wilson had been the team’s best rebounder at both ends. The freshman posted a 22.2 defensive rebounding percentage, good for 88th nationally.
UNC was also outscored in the paint in seven of its last 13 games of the regular season, including both meetings with Duke. Some of those games were the result of Wilson being out, including the infamous 82-58 blowout loss to NC State, when both he and Veesaar were sidelined. However, there were three games during that stretch in which UNC was outscored in the paint with Wilson on the court: Miami, Syracuse and Virginia. So this isn’t just a post-Wilson issue.
It’s also an issue with roster construction, as UNC’s roster this season was built to be a better rebounding team with considerable size added at each position.
Perimeter defense has been atrocious
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The Tar Heels have allowed opponents to shoot 34.5% from beyond the arc, which ranks 238th nationally and 14th in the conference, and there were nine games in which UNC allowed opponents to shoot 40% or better from downtown. The Tar Heels were last in conference play in 3-point defense, allowing opponents to shoot 38.5% from beyond the arc.
Free Throw shooting might be worse
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North Carolina is shooting 68.4% from the free-throw line, which ranks 315th nationally and 15th in the ACC. Only two players are shooting 75% or better: Jaydon Young (75%) and Derek Dixon (81.8%). UNC’s three leading scorers — Caleb Wilson, Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar — are shooting a poor 67.2%, 67.2% and 62%, respectively. That’s not good at all.
This has plagued UNC all season, especially in some of its closer games. Free throw shooting has been the reason why teams have made late rallies on Carolina or why it loses close games. Case in point: its 80-79 loss to Clemson in the ACC Tournament, when it missed seven free throws. Make just two of those, and UNC likely completes the comeback and remains in the hunt for its first ACC Tournament title since 2016.
Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: The biggest takeaways from the regular season
Continue reading...
