Scoring was never supposed to be an issue for this North Carolina lineup, which already features four different players who scored 20 points at least once in the first five games of the season. .
Still, Wednesday’s 77-65 loss in Indiana was the second in three games and the third of the season to see the Tar Heels fall below 70 points. UNC coach Hubert Davis said Friday before his team traveled to face Virginia Tech on Sunday in his ACC opener, it wasn’t all playing poorly. It is the execution that is not.
“If you make a play and you don’t do it with pace and purpose, it’s not working, but it’s not a play,” Davis said. So I believe 100% that most things that aren’t working are because we aren’t working.”
Junior guard Caleb Love said the same thing Wednesday after IU’s loss.
As such, Carolina only has five assists, the third time this season that she has failed to hit double figures in this category.
“They were pulling us away from what we wanted to do, like denying or removing certain choices,” Love said. So we have to change it, change our moves, stay active off the ball, we have to be tough and smart enough to get through it not.”
Senior forward Leakey Black believes the way to do that is to make sure the offense gets past forward Armando Baco.
Opponents have made it more difficult to do so this season, the way the Heels have always double-teamed. With an assist percentage of 6.9, they are not coping well.
“We have to find a way to help him and help him move forward,” said Black. It will be difficult, so I had to think about how I could make him go faster.”
Davis reiterated on Friday that Bacott is expected to play at Virginia Tech despite suffering some kind of shoulder injury early in the game at IU. He said he heard a snap when he was there. He played his 28 minutes but was limited in what he could do offensively due to his shoulder pain. That injury was in addition to picking up his ankle injury in the second overtime of a four-overtime loss to Alabama.
Impediment or not, Sunday’s game brings a sense of urgency for Carolina. The heel enters the game on a three-game losing streak. He hasn’t lost four in a row since February 2020 when he lost seven in a row.
“It’s a long season,” said Black. “You know, I keep saying it, but at the end of the day, we have a long season ahead of us.
Tip-off time + TV channel for Tuesday’s game
The match will start at 3pm on Sunday and will be televised on the ACC network.
How to Stream the UNC vs. Virginia Tech Game Online
are you a cord cutter?
If your preferred method of watching games includes streaming, you have that option as well.
The ACC network is available on fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV and YouTubeTV. Or, click here to watch on the ESPN app.
Gameday Details: UNC vs. Virginia Tech
team: UNC Tar Heels vs. Virginia Tech Hawkeyes
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia
date: December 4th (Sun)
time: 3 pm
tv set: ACC network
Series history: Tar Heels lead the series 72-16. The last time the team met him was on March 11, when the Hawkeyes won his 72–59 victory in his ACC Tournament Semifinals at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
CL Brown covers the University of North Carolina for The News & Observer. Brown has more than 20 years of reporting experience, including her writing assignments at Indiana University and the University of Louisville. After an extended residency at his APSE Award-winning Louisville Courier-Journal, he stopped by his ESPN.com, his The Athletic, and even tried his hand at running his own website, clbrownhoops.com.