To Watch The Film Or Not?
Blowouts happen. Sometimes a team is on the front end of a rout, and sometimes they are on the receiving end.
Either way, many coaches in football and basketball carry the philosophy that showing their team film of lopsided games doesn’t do them much of a service.
On one end, the coach of a club that was just drubbed doesn’t want to affect confidence or appear to be rubbing it in, and it won’t change the result. “They know what happened,” a former ACC coach once said. Plus, they would rather the troops forget it and move on. Don’t carry the baggage into the next game.
On the other hand, some coaches also prefer not showing clips from easy wins t guard against their team possibly relaxing. They want them to maintain and edge to continue working to get better. Fat and happy over a blowout win can have an adverse affect moving forward.
Roy Williams doesn’t share either perspective. He wants his team to see the good and the bad of everything. No film shall go wasted in his world, even the 99-54 demolition the Tar Heels put on a Louisville team this past Saturday that ventured into the Smith Center not having played in 19 days and practicing just a handful of times in that span.
“If somebody beats us, whether it's one or 101, I never just throw that out,” Williams said during the ACC conference call on Monday, referring to game films. “I always feel like you can learn and the kids can see it on tape, so that's my perspective.”
Even in a 45-point victory, Williams will find humbling moments from which his team can learn, but they can also improve seeing their success. With such a young squad, as seven of UNC’s players in its 11-man rotation are freshmen, the simple things haven’t always been that way this season. So, seeing them execute the basics on film can have a residual effect.
Pass and cut away, cut and replace, entry angles, help side defense, hedging properly, filling lanes on the break, every little nuance is teachable, so Williams makes sure his guys see it, especially themselves doing it right.
Putting a game like Saturday’s in perspective can be a challenge, however. Yes, the Tar Heels played exceptionally well, shooting 60.9 percent from the floor, assisting on 29 of 42 made field goals, scoring 58 points in the paint, and getting 26 fast break points, by far a season high.
That said, the Cardinals last played Feb. 1 in a win over Georgia Tech. Since, the team went into a lengthy pause causing the postponement of four games. They practiced seven times, of which head coach Chris Mack missed three. Show the clips and learn, but understanding this wasn’t an entirely normal situation cannot be dismissed, either.
“I think the fact that we won, I want us to feel good,” Williams said. “But it was just one game is all it is and we were playing a team that had not played in 19 days, had only had eight or nine practices.
“I forgot what Chris had said. So, we know that we’ve got a team that wasn't what they're going to be seven days from now with two more games and three or four more.”
Carolina (14-7, 8-5 ACC) still did plenty of things well and showed dramatic improvement across the board from earlier in the season. In fact, the Tar Heels have just three wins this season with margins of 20 or more points, and two came last week. UNC also defeated Northeastern by 20 points on Feb. 17.
So, they watched the film got their praises and critiques, and moved on. Next up, Marquette on Wednesday, and regardless of what happens, the players will get a full review the next day.