If there is one thing Duke can do that will erase a heart-breaking loss to Miami, it’s a victory over its rival North Carolina. Beating the Tar Heels will be no easy task, but here are the key things to keep in mind as we head into Saturday’s game.
North Carolina’s backcourt has struggled, but they are improving
The Tar Heels have been criticized all season for their inexperienced backcourt. 17 games into the season, freshman guards Caleb Love, R.J. Davis, Anthony Harris, and Kerwin Walton are averaging just 10.3, 8.6, 3.4, and 6.6 points per game, respectively. None of them are averaging more than three assists per game. Lacking a dominant point guard, North Carolina certainly misses Coby White and Cole Anthony, the two ball-handlers who conducted the dangerous powder blue offense over the past two seasons.
With COVID-19 drastically impacting pre-season training and the season itself, it has been difficult for first-year players to adjust to the level of the college game. Roughly one month remains in the regular season, and these young Tar Heels still have things to fix, but are much improved since those opening games that many fans tend to make impressions on. Most notably, Davis and Love are contributing more on the defensive end, forcing turnovers and earning easy transition buckets, while also showing their ability to step up in big moments. These clips highlight this improved guard-play in recent ACC games.
This is great example of Love highlighting his improved defense with a steal and fast-break dunk against Wake Forest.
This clip displays Davis' knock down ability with a dagger 3-point shot against North Carolina State.
There’s one more name to watch in North Carolina’s backcourt this Saturday: Leaky Black. The athletic and opportunistic junior has used his experience to help the freshmen progress and make key plays for the Tar Heels all season.
Leaky Black can do it all himself as seen with this steal and jam.
Duke allowed Miami’s guards to have a field day on Monday night. The four starting guards for the Hurricanes posted a combined 51 of Miami’s 77 points. To stop North Carolina’s guards, Jordan Goldwire and the gang will need to turn things around and turn the defense up another notch.
North Carolina’s big men dominate
One unit that has not been doubted for the Tar Heels this season is their big men. North Carolina has dominated nearly all of its opponents in the paint, led by three of the best paint players in the ACC. Senior forward Garrison Brooks, sophomore forward Armando Bacot and freshman forward Day’Ron Sharpe are all averaging at least nine points and seven rebounds per game this season. Making matters even scarier, the Tar Heels are rebounding 40.5% of their misses this season. Having three players consistently contributing this much in the paint, together, every game, is rare in college basketball. The videos below display some of the powder blue’s dominance in the paint this season.
Brooks and Bacot displayed impressive ball movement in the paint, resulting in easy buckets late in a close game against Syracuse.
This clip shows Bacot's ability to win inside leverage and beat his defender in the post for an assertive dunk against Notre Dame.
North Carolina's ability to move the ball in and out of the post create openings like this Brooks slam over Iowa star center Luka Garza.
The question of the night is not whether the Tar Heels will rely on these three, it is how Duke plans to stop them. The Blue Devils have been incorporating freshman center Mark Williams into the lineup much more recently. Williams recorded double-digit minutes for the first time in his college career three games ago, and has done so every game since. Williams has shown the ability to play at an elite level inside, but questions remain surrounding his consistency and the upper bound on his minutes. North Carolina head coach Roy Williams is notorious for running lineups with multiple big men on the court at the same time and this season has been no different. Duke needs Williams to have his best performance of the season and even if he does, other Blue Devils will need to step up and attempt to neutralize the other two paint-going Tar Heels.
Takeaways
North Carolina has a clear and effective fight plan: attack the interior and feed out from there. The Tar Heels big men have been consistently dominant all season and the backcourt’s role is giving them opportunities to shine in the paint. Duke’s primary preparation will be addressing this. However, North Carolina’s young guards are beginning to show their ability to capitalize on opportunities for themselves as well.
Editor's note: This article is one of many in The Chronicle and The Daily Tar Heel's annual rivalry edition. Find the rest here.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.