CHAPEL HILL - Playing fast is a staple of North Carolina basketball. It’s a skillset teams of Tar Heel past have mastered, getting out in transition and answering an opponent’s basket in a matter of seconds.
For Hubert Davis, the idea of playing fast was once again an emphasis this offseason, particularly with a three-guard lineup.
As UNC aimed to execute in the fast-paced and up-tempo offense in a 90-76 victory over Elon in its season-opener Monday, it struggled to find the balance between playing quick and composed and playing quicker than necessary.
What started as promising transition looks too often turned into poor passes and poor shot selection, stemming from the effort to maintain the quick pace.
UNC attempted 80 shots, 19 more than its opponent, yet made the same number of layups and shot a pedestrian 40% from the floor.
The Tar Heels finished an uninspiring 9-for-21 on layups against the Phoenix, and converted just four of their seven dunk attempts. Not only did these mistakes on the offensive end squander fastbreak chances, but actively aided Elon on the other end of the floor.
“Missed layups,” said guard Seth Trimble. “I keep talking about the missed layups because the missed layups led Elon out in transition to get whatever they wanted.”
Taking a look at the box score would lead one to believe that the Tar Heels played a clean game, coughing up the basketball on just six occasions, including only once in the first half. And while the Phoenix tallied just nine points off of turnovers, UNC believes it did a lot more than the stats indicate to give Elon fastbreak opportunities and high-percentage looks.
“We didn’t turn the ball over too much, but I feel like missed layups kinda count as turnovers cause teams [can] get out and run,” said Trimble.
Late in the first half, North Carolina squandered a two-on-one opportunity with a missed layup by RJ Davis and a subsequent missed tip-in attempt by Jae’Lyn Withers. Seconds later, the Phoenix found itself with numbers, and in transition going the other way.
In what can only be described as mayhem, Elon missed three consecutive high chance looks at the rim, leading the Tar Heels into another transition opportunity before a missed dunk by Trimble.
What could have easily ended with a converted lay up two sequences prior, turned into scoring chances for the Phoenix, and a lucky break for the Tar Heels.
In the second half, UNC wasn’t so fortunate, as Elon took advantage of fastbreak miscues by the Tar Heels to briefly hold a lead at 71-69 with 6:48 remaining. UNC understands that to reach its full potential, it needs to find a balance offensively, playing up tempo and out in transition, while also playing under control.
It forced 16 turnovers in the victory, yet only scored 13 points off Elon giveaways.
“We can be really good when we convert,” said Trimble. “We just have to make sure we’re making the right play at all times.”
Although its fast-paced offense led to blunders on the fastbreak and in transition, it’s not going to deter the Tar Heels from its philosophy, but rather remind them there is such a thing as too fast.
“We want to play really fast, [and] just can’t be stupid,” said Trimble.
UNC showed flashes of success when running in transition, scoring 18 fastbreak points. Combine that with the fact that the Tar Heels forced a turnover on 22.9 percent of the Phoenix’s possessions, and it bodes well, giving them ample opportunities to work and improve its transition offense.
