Trimble, Nickel Delivered In A Serious Time Of Need

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BLACKSBURG, VA – Hubert Davis hasn’t used the bench much at all this season to sit a player not performing to expectation or to generate a spark.

But the second-year North Carolina coach was pretty much forced into that position Sunday at Virginia Tech, so he took the plunge.

Four Tar Heels (5-4) with multiple DNPs were in the game at some point, and in one sequence during the first half, three of those players were on the floor at the same time. Two ended up getting expended minutes helping the Heels to nearly wash away what was an 18-point deficit with 12:38 left to play before eventually falling, 80-72, at Cassell Coliseum.

Freshmen Seth Trimble, who has been in the rotation for each game, and Tyler Nickel, who played 19 seconds over UNC’s previous three contests, took the most advantage of their opportunities.

“They competed. They competed,” Davis said following his team’s loss Sunday, its fourth consecutive setback. “Defensively, they competed. It didn’t matter whom they were guarding; that person knew they were there, it was felt. They were doing the things that we asked them to do and talked about and practiced in shoot around.

“And then on the offensive end, they took care of the basketball and were in the right spots and were aggressive and definitive in all of their moves. I thought they were fantastic.”

The rookies combined to play 48 minutes, quite a healthy dose for a team that was ranked No. 361 out of 363 Division One schools entering the game in bench usage. For Trimble, his 22 minutes were six more than any previous appearance, and he had logged only 34 total minutes in Carolina’s four games prior to its ACC opener.

For Nickel, 25 of his 52 minutes this season came versus the Hokies. His previous game-high in minutes was eight two times.

“I think we gave our team a boost,” said Trimble, who finished with six points on 3-for-3 shooting, three rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a memorable block. “It just can’t be the starters doing what they need to do.”

Nickel concluded the day with eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, a rebound, and an assist, the latter of which came after a steal by RJ Davis ending with Nickel feeding Trimble for a layup cutting Tech’s lead to 71-66 with 1:16 remaining.

Trimble, who is 6-foot-3 and largely a point guard, entered the game for the final time with 10:21 remaining and remained on the floor the rest of the way. Nickel went in with 14:40 left, and only came out for offensive-defense substitutions swapping with Leaky Black over the final minute.

Davis was pleased his team made a game of it, and it’s clear the vitality the newbies provided was instrumental in Carolina’s late push.

“I’m disappointed but I’m not discouraged,” he said. “I’m disappointed with the outcome, but I’m really happy with the fight over the last 15 minutes of the second half… It just came up short. I told them that I’m not panicked, I’m not any of that.”

Perhaps the positive performance might launch the 6-foot-7 Nickel into the rotation. He says the longer he was on the court the better he defended, and just felt overall.

“I think it’s just about getting in the flow,” he said. “You get out there and you have enough time to get a feel for the game and then everything gets better from there.”

With Trimble and Nickel on the floor, North Carolina roared back cutting the Hokies’ lead to three points with 3:06 to play. Without the freshmen, it could have been a laugher.