UNC At VT: 5 Things To Watch For

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North Carolina wobbles into Cassell Coliseum on Sunday afternoon to open ACC play, as the No. 18 Tar Heels take on Virginia Tech for a 3 PM start on the ACC Network.

At stake for UNC is plenty: The Heels have lost three consecutive games and are looking to snap the skid; it’s the ACC opener and a key road game against a team expected to play in the NCAA Tournament next spring; and it’s an opportunity for Hubert Davis’ team to take a step toward cohesion and better play in every aspect.

The Tar Heels are 5-3 while the Hokies are 7-1.

Here are 5 Things To Watch For with North Carolina visiting Virginia Tech:

Yeah, many are probably asking, “What flow?” Exactly.

Carolina’s offense has only looked fairly good for several halves, and was downright awful Wednesday night at Indiana. The Heels assisted on just five of 20 made field goals, and on the season have assisted on only 89 of 218 buckets, which is a paltry 40.6 percent.

By comparison, last year’s team, which had its share of poor offensive stretches, assisted on field goals 54.1 percent of the time. As a point of reference, given this team’s stated mission, the 2016-17 national championship squad assisted on 58.9 percent of its baskets.

There are other ways to gauge UNC’s poor offensive flow, something one player called “stagnant” following the loss at IU. But it really begins with assists, and the Heels are sorely lacking in that department.

Even if Carolina doesn’t always have great, or even good, flow offensively, winning for the Tar Heels often comes down to how Caleb Love and RJ Davis perform, and usually shoot. Combined, they aspiring All-Americas are 25-for-94 from beyond the arc, which is just 26.6 percent.

For a frame of reference, they combined to shoot 29.1 percent as freshmen, and that was a source of criticism levied their way.

Love and Davis have been a big part of the offensive issues with questionable shot selection and too much dribbling. They do not appear connected yet with their teammates on the court. Thus, since they have attempted seven more shots than the rest of the team. Yet, illustrating a huge reason Carolina is struggling, they are shooting only 39.8 percent from the floor, while the rest of the Tar Heels are shooting 50.2 percent.

Armando Bacot may still be Carolina’s most important player, but any turnaround this team makes, will begin with Love and Davis playing at a much higher level.

UNC was one of the top defensive rebounding teams in the nation last season, as it usually is. That is a hallmark of the program. In fact, opponents grabbed just 22.5 percent of their missed shots. But eight games into this season, opponents have pulled down 30.4 percent of their misses, and actually have five more offensive boards than the Tar Heels.

Allowing extra scoring opportunities is especially difficult for this Carolina team to overcome given it has largely struggled offensively as well. This aspect of the game cost the Heels twice in Portland, and could Sunday.

Remember when UNC was allowing way too many points in the paint early last season? It’s happening again, and is more perplexing this time around.

Through eight games, the Tar Heels average allowing 33.5 points in the paint per contest while scoring just 32.8. They are being outscored there.

In the last three games, versus the only Power 5 teams Carolina has played, Iowa State, Alabama, and Indiana own a 122-106 advantage scoring in the paint.

Needless to say, this is an area that is not sustainable unless the Heels improve. Having the edge here Sunday would go a long way toward UNC getting a needed W.

Riding a three-game losing streak, and to be frank, performing underwhelmingly so far this season, it’s time the Tar Heels show a great deal of spirit and smarter basketball. But what happens if it’s more of the same by the starters?

Davis says he uses the bench as a form of motivation, but hasn’t yet backed that up, as UNC is No. 361 or 363 Division One teams in bench usage. This is important because the starters need breathers, but also, there is no demerit for not playing as coached.

On multiple occasions already this young season, the head coach has strongly intimated his players weren’t doing as coached, they did things never taught in practice.

So, if a fourth straight loss appears in the making, will Davis go to his bench as a form of motivation to whatever starters are not performing? This is a fair question to ask, and also something to expect.