For the first time in 18 years, ACC play begins without Roy Williams pacing and fist-pumping along the UNC sidelines.
The Tar Heels’ Hall of Fame head coach retired in April, handing the reins to his longtime assistant, former UNC legend Hubert Davis. After a pair of desultory losses to ranked opponents at the Mohegan Sun Arena, Davis and the Tar Heels found their bearings Wednesday when they drilled No. 24 Michigan 72-51 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Chapel Hill.
Williams’ teams were always defined by blistering pace and overpowering big men. The Tar Heels still like to get up and go, and they remain a backcourt-focused team with guards R.J. Davis (13.0 ppg) and Caleb Love (16.1 ppg), a smooth, skilled creator off the dribble. The biggest change from last year though? North Carolina has vastly upgraded its three-point shooting:
Year 3pt.% NCAA Rank ACC Rank
2020-21 31.8% 263rd 13th
2021-22 41.5% 11th 2nd
Those numbers have also gone up thanks to the addition of a pair of pick-and-pop threats in the transfer portal in 6-11 Marquette forward Dawson Garcia (13.0 ppg) and 6-9 Oklahoma forward Brady Manek (14.0 ppg). The Tar Heels still don’t shoot a high volume of threes, though their improved accuracy has unlocked previously unseen angles in the halfcourt. Can Jordan Usher and Khalid Moore avoid the fouls that plagued them against Wisconsin’s wings? And can the Jackets get their “stick hand” up and Garcia and Manek and limit their floor stretching powers Sunday?
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Devoe has certainly done his part, but Georgia Tech only ranks a few spots behind North Carolina – 15th nationally – in three-point percentage (40.6 percent). Still, can other players help loosen up the floor against the Tar Heels? It’s a small sample size, but in Georgia Tech’s five wins, players other than Devoe have shot a combined 38.9 percent from three (26-of- 67).
In Georgia Tech’s two losses, it’s a different story:
3pt.% (except Devoe):
- Wins: 38.9%
- Losses: 5.9% (1-of-17)
North Carolina had some unsound defensive moments earlier this year, though the Tar Heels shored that up Wednesday when they held Michigan to 35-percent shooting. In particular, UNC hedged more, doubled the post, and played less drop coverage on pick-and-rolls than they did in previous games. Will that strategy persist against the Yellow Jackets? Worth noting: on a per-possession basis, North Carolina is the worst team in the ACC in forcing turnovers.
