The Root of North Carolina's Improved Defense is...?

CHAPEL HILL – What is at the core of North Carolina’s near-meteoric rise on the defensive end of the court over the last couple of weeks?

Poor opponents? Bad shooting? Luck? Or have the Tar Heels had a hand in some or more of what’s transpired?

The tenor in UNC’s media room following the Tar Heels’ 103-67 rout of Syracuse, after holding the Orange to 36.5 percent shooting from the field, including 21.1 percent (4-for-19) from the perimeter as the crazy defensive numbers Carolina is putting up is as much about good fortune as anything else.

Pittsburgh missed open threes early and it eventually just stuck with them as the Panthers finished 5-for-29 from outside. Clemson, one of the better 3-point shooting teams in the nation, couldn’t throw it in the ocean going 1-for-18. And NC State went a paltry 2-for-20 missing its first 10 attempts from beyond the arc.

Defending the perimeter begins with defending the interior, especially against teams that like to go inside-out, like Clemson.

“I think we’re doing a better job of being in the gaps, closing out with a sense of urgency,” UNC senior guard RJ Davis said. “But then also having your teammates’ back. I think sometimes in the beginning of the year, we got a little too selfish in a way of my man is not going to score but not (provide) help side.

“So, I think we realize that if we help each other out, the defense will be phenomenal.”

The Tar Heels (13-3 overall, 5-0 ACC) held NC State and Syracuse to 31.8 percent from the field this past week, including 15.4 percent (6-for-39) from 3-point range. In fact, Carolina’s last four opponents have combined to shoot 32.5 percent from the floor, including 11.6 percent (10-for-86) from beyond the arc.

“We're getting better defensively,” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said following Carolina’s 103-67 win over Syracuse on Saturday at the Smith Center. “It's something that we've identified to allow us to be successful and to be the best team that we can possibly be. It was really right before the Oklahoma game.

“I spoke to the team and I said, ‘look, like what is required is for us to make a full commitment on the defensive end and rebounding the basketball. If we can defend, if we can take care of basketball that's gonna put us in position to be able to be successful whomever we play.' I said it takes a full commitment and from that Oklahoma game it just continues to build.”

UNC was effective defensively versus the Sooners, limiting them to 40.4 percent overall, and 30.4 percent (7-for-23) from the perimeter. Then they took on low-major Charleston Southern as the final tune-up before launching into ACC play. The Buccaneers shot 33.9 percent from the floor, but 10-for-25 from the perimeter was 40 percent.

It’s fair to distinguish those two contests as defensive transitional games. The Tar Heels were in the process of becoming what they have morphed into. Collectively, through the first 12 contests of the season, UNC’s opponents shot 41.9 percent from the field, including 33.9 percent (101-for-298) from 3-point range.

Now, those aren’t awful figures at all. As of Sunday of this week, that would rank UNC No. 111 in field goal defense, and No. 223 in defensive 3-point percent. It should be noted, though, Carolina would sit around 65 slots below teams allowing 32.9 percent.

The Heels’ rankings since then based on where the nation is at this time: Houston leads the nation in defensive field goal percent at 35.1, and SMU leads the nation in 3-point defense at 25.6 percent. Clearly, Carolina is playing at an exceptionally high level on that end of the floor, missed open shots or not.

“Taking pride in guarding your man, stay in front of him,” RJ Davis said, noting another of UNC’s recent keys its executing. “But if we do breakdown, defense does break down, it’s basketball, we’re able to kind of work it out on the fly. Our rotations are extremely crisp right now, and we’re being where we need to be.”

As it stands, UNC sits at No. 26 nationally in field goal defense, allowing 39.5 percent, and is No. 27 in 3-point defense at 28.9 percent. That is all 16 games factored into the equation.

It wasn’t as if the Tar Heels were a bad defensive team, they simply had some poor tendencies that led to ineffective stretches. Assistant coach Pat Sullivan, who was a rotation player on Carolina’s 1993 national championship team and spent 18 years in the NBA in various coaching, scouting, and administrative roles, has taken the lead on refining the Heels’ rough edges on defense.

And it has absolutely worked.

“He's been great,” Hubert Davis said. “You know in terms of just defensively, helping us build what we want to do on the defensive end and what it looks like. I also think the guys now are able to see the benefit of it.

“You can talk about it, we need to do this defensively, we need to rebound. But once you do that, and you see the benefit as a team and individually like more playing time, I think guys are like, ‘oh, nice. I like defense. I like to rebound a box out.’ And so, I think that trust on the defensive end is building and one of the things that I always tell them.”

The Heels have certainly seen the benefit, experienced it, and have come to fully embrace it.

Perhaps they have benefitted from off nights by opposing teams’ top shooters, and perhaps it’s a simple part of the ebb and flow of the season. But numbers like what UNC has posted of late don’t only happen by accident.

The Heels have undeniably had a major hand in it.