This past Sunday’s contest in Chapel Hill was emblematic of a shift in power in the ACC. One team was fighting to stay in contention at the top of the conference, the other desperately trying to keep its season from spiraling further downhill.
Virginia surprisingly fills the role of ACC contender this season, and the Cavaliers’ 75-60 drubbing of host North Carolina has the Tar Heel faithful closer than ever to hitting the panic button.
“The things that I have preached for the previous 21 years seem to work,” North Carolina head coach Roy Williams said. “And the things that I’ve preached this year the same as those 21 haven’t worked. So I’ve got to find a different way to do it.”
The biggest issues for the Tar Heels come on the defensive end and at the point guard position. North Carolina allowed Virginia to go on an 18-0 run early in the second half Sunday that put the game out of reach. The Cavaliers shot 52 percent for the game and led by as many as 21 during the second half. Virginia guard Sylven Landesberg was essentially allowed free reign at the Dean E. Smith Center, scoring 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting and adding 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
Landesberg wasn’t the only player getting open looks, as the Cavaliers spread the floor and moved the ball at will. They compiled 18 assists on 27 field goals and three Virginia players scored in double figures.
Williams hinted that his team’s intensity level may be to blame for the letdown.
“I didn’t think even early in the game [Sunday] that we were really into the game,” Williams said. “It’s almost like we were going out to play just because we had to play as opposed to just loving game night, and can’t wait until game day gets here, and can’t wait to go out and compete. [With] teams in the past I’ve been able to have that attitude and so far with this one I have not.”
The biggest difference between this year’s Tar Heels and last season’s championship squad is at the point guard position. Although Larry Drew II was a serviceable backup last year, he has yet to find his comfort zone during this campaign.
“We’re not running the ball anything like I would like to run it,” Williams said. “We’ve got three or four different offenses that we’ve tried to use as opposed to sticking with one.”
Drew’s shooting percentages are all up from last year, but he is only averaging 9.1 points per game and holds an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.98/1. By comparison, Ty Lawson posted higher percentages in all three shooting categories (field goal, 3-point, and free throw), held a 3.48/1 assist-to-turnover ratio, and averaged 16.6 points per game for the national champions. Lawson thrived in Williams’ high-tempo offense, but Drew has been uncomfortable leading the break.
Lawson’s quickness was a major factor on the defense end as well—he had 75 steals last season while picking up only 59 fouls in 38 games. Drew leads the team with 51 fouls already this season, and his 20 steals in 21 games puts him on pace for only 36 this year—less than half of Lawson’s mark. Where Lawson created offensive opportunities for North Carolina with his stellar ball pressure, Drew tends to create offensive opportunities for the opponent via the free throw line.
The Cavaliers were happy to take advantage of the Tar Heels’ swoon Sunday, as they look to challenge the ACC’s best. Tony Bennett is in his first season leading Virginia, and while the Cavaliers have been inconsistent at times, the 2007 National Coach of the Year at Washington State hopes that this game can be a stepping stone towards establishing his team at the top of the conference.
“The challenge is now to not come out flat in the next game—to take that and really play with that same kind of sense of urgency,” Bennett said.
That opportunity will present itself Wednesday night in Charlottesville against North Carolina State. The Cavaliers then face Wake Forest Saturday in another home game as they try to separate themselves from the pack in the ACC.
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