Film Review: Executing On Short Notice

In the oddest of seasons, North Carolina desperately needed a nonconference game in the middle of February. Northeastern obliged with less than 48 hours notice. The result was an 82-62 victory that served a positive purpose on several fronts.

With three conference games already cancelled and the reality of a couple of more schedule vacancies on the horizon, another notch in the win column was a must. From a strategic standpoint we got the opportunity to see how this team has improved from earlier in the season when the played other mid-majors such as Charleston, UNLV, and North Carolina Central.

This was a stress-free type of setting in which Roy Williams and his staff got a gauge from purely an execution standpoint. Here is a look at some things that may have noticed.

On the game's first two possessions, North Carolina went straight into the post and easily went up 4-0. In the next four possessions, it had three turnovers and an air ball. After five team turnovers, Northeastern claimed an 8-6 lead. The biggest enemy of this team has been the turnover bug that comes out of nowhere. This was another instance of the only team that could keep them from scoring was themselves. But as easily as the turnovers started, they went away. The Tar Heels only committed three in the final 29 minutes.

Early on, there was a simple skip pass that couldn't be handled and trickled out of bounds. Garrison Brooks also had two early turnovers. Both were strips in traffic. Brooks gets early position on the block and makes a quick move to the baseline. When his initial move is cut off, he spins back to his right shoulder, but doesn't see the post double coming from the top. Some teams double on the catch. Others wait until the ball is put on the floor. That can cause confusion, but they cannot allow the big to make a quick and decisive move before the help comes.

Northeastern adapted a similar defensive strategy that plenty of others have employed to slow down the Tar Heels' inside game. They gapped off the high post to help muddy the passing lane to the low post.

Walker Kessler gets the touch at the trail spot in the secondary break. His man backs heel into the paint to help on Day'Ron Sharpe. After the ball is swung to the wing, the two bigs replace and Sharpe gets the high post feed. He catches about four feet closer to the rim than Kessler did and he never hesitates. He knows he is going to be unguarded. The freshman turns and goes up with conviction.

Speaking for freshmen, Kessler and Sharpe provided a spark in the first half when the offense was stuck in neutral. Kessler ended up with 10 points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes of play while Sharpe went for 15 and eight in 19 minutes. 25 points and 15 boards in 31 combined minutes is nothing to sneeze at, and was definitely a huge boost off the bench for the team.

Here is another defensive ploy Northeastern took from previous scouting reports. They played soft on the ball-screen. They go over the screen, but the screener's man plays well off in the lane to help wall off the lane against penetration. Carolina attacked this in a couple of ways. But the common denominator was the ballhandlers had space when they turned the corner. They played downhill off the screen.

In this clip, Carolina aligns for its traditional diagonal cut off the back screen, but there is a different wrinkle. They show the back-screen, but the cut never comes. The threat of it clears the ball side, and keeps the help side defense occupied while they actually reset for the stagger for Andrew Platek. On the other side of the floor, Day'Ron Sharpe reverses and sets a side ball-screen for Caleb Love behind it. As we said, Sharpe's man plays in the paint and Love can attack.

Love penetrates just enough to drag Sharpe's man toward the middle of the lane. This changes the passing angle just enough for him to drop a beautiful uncontested bounce pass to Sharpe for the roll and the dunk.

Here is another example of North Carolina countering as Northeastern plays soft and off the shooters. However, in this case, I wouldn't advise giving Kerwin Walton space and time for an easy catch and shoot.

One thing that is always noticeable with Roy Williams' teams is how they don't pull it out and call a set after the secondary break doesn't provide a shot. One seamlessly transitions into early half court offense. When the ball is reversed from left to right there is a two man game. Only Walton and Walker Kessler are on the right side of the floor. Walton has the angle for the lob entry. Walton's man creeps down to help and is at least ten feet off the sharpshooter. Kessler gives it right back, and this is as easy of a three-pointer that Walton will have this year.

This look is similar to several of the others. Carolina pushes in its secondary break. The Tar Heels attack by the first post sprinting to the front of the rim and the second post filling the trail spot up top. Love dribbles to the right corner and the ball is revered all the way around the horn to the left wing. Sharpe makes the reversal to the left side, and goes to ball-screen behind it. Seems like we have seen this before.

Once again, Northeastern plays soft and the screener's man is compared out in the lane. There is a a difference, though. Sharpe engulfs Platek's man with the ball-screen. He can't move and finally has to try to go under. The time taken to get through the screen takes enough time that Sharpe can't become available on the roll. But he isn't needed. Platek has room to turn the corner as well, and is absolutely wide open. The senior takes what the defense give him, a wide open 15-foot pull-up jumper.

Platek's scoring has disappeared at times, but it showed up at the right time Wednesday night. He was 4 of 5 from the field for nine points. Seven of them came midway and late in the first half when Northeastern was keeping the score close and the game competitive.

This was a beautiful possession. It was a sign to me that when the ball is taken care of the offensive decision making and basketball IQ is maturing. Carolina begins with the traditional ball reversal into a back screen. Then the cross screen comes when the ball is reversed back to the top. Armando Bacot gets a mid-post feed. When the drive doesn't provide anything, he kicks the ball outside which is followed by an extra perimeter pass. The ball is reversed to the right corner, and a stagger is set on the other side of the floor for Kerwin Walton. The wing catches the ball at the top of the key and knocks down the three.

Why did I go move-by-move and pass by pass through the entire possession? There was nothing wasted. Every bit of movement was made to put pressure on the defense. The cross-screen is tough to defend. Bacot looks for a one-one-one drive which leads to a kick to a three-point shooter. Then the stagger finishes the play. These are all basketball plays.

The patience and movement is even more telling to me. There were nine passes in all and five ball reversals. The three was made with nine seconds left on the shot clock. Northeastern had to defend hard and expend a lot of energy. When you do that and still give up a three-pointer it is draining for the defensive team.

North Carolina's ability to make plays wasn't solely for the offensive end. Roy Williams had to make adjustments defensively. Tyson Walker was a problem. The sophomore point guard appeared to be an Atlantic Coast Conference type of talent. He scored 27 points, was able to constantly get into the lane, and made four three-pointers. The Tar Heels were fortunate because the outcome of the constant dribble penetration was constant open three's. Northeastern was 10-for-30 from deep, and could have easily made a couple of more seeing how open they were.

Roy decided he had to get the ball out os Walker's hands, so he came with the hard double team. Walker gets two ball-screens on this play. The first one isn't jumped, but the second one is. Armando Bacot attacks Walker along with Love. They drive him all the way back to the half-line where he picks up his dribble. Walker will get tagged with the turnover. But this one is one the safety outlet in the middle of the floor. He has to jump to the ball while it is in the air. Instead he stays nailed to the floor and allows Kerwin Walton to jump the passing lane. He outlets to Love for the layup.

All the traps didn't work this well. When Northeastern was able to get the ball in the middle of the floor they could kick opposite for open three's. But in the end, Carolina converted 16 turnovers into 22 points.

I understand that Walker Kessler isn't as refined yet as the other three bigs. He doesn't have the body strength yet of Brooks, Bacot, and Sharpe. But there are some things I really like about him. The desire is there. He may be their most consistent ball-screen defender. While I have questioned the intent of some others when they might hard hedge one possession and not lift a finger the next, Kessler has been consistent in his coverages.

When Northeastern sets a stagger ball-screen on top of the key, the UNC defenders switch everything without a hitch. That wouldn't have happened earlier in the year. Kessler is aggressive with his switch. He meets the ball-handler up the line at the three-point arc. He stays low and in a stance. There is no mismatch here between him and the Northeastern guard. However they want to try to exploit it. When the ball is passed away from Kessler it is going to come right back as they try to clear and attack him. He knows what is coming, and jumps the passing lane for the steal and dunk.