UNC Basketball Aftermath: A Well-Rounded Effort Ignites the Heels

(Photo Courtesy Robert T Willett/The News & Observer)

Starters 

Elliot Cadeau - 20 MIN, 7 PTS, 2 REB, 1 AST, 2-7 FG, 0-1 3PT, 3-4 FT

R.J Davis - 35 MIN, 23 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST, 7-18 FG, 5-9 3PT, 4-4 FT

Cormac Ryan - 36 MIN, 13 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST, 4-10 FG, 1-5 3PT, 4-5 FT

Harrison Ingram - 30 MIN, 11 PTS, 7 REB, 2 AST, 4-6 FG, 1-2 3PT, 2-2 FT

Armando Bacot - 33 MIN, 14 PTS, 8 REB, 1 AST, 4-9 FG, 1-1 3PT, 5-7 FT

Bench 

Seth Trimble -  21 MIN, 5 PTS, 1 REB, 0 AST, 2-4  FG, 1-2 3PT, 0-2 FT

Zayden High - 12 MIN, 0 PTS, 3 REB, 0 AST, 0-1 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT

Jalen Washington - 5 MIN, 4 PTS, 2 REB, 0 AST, 2-2 FG, 0-0 3PT, 0-0 FT

Jae'Lyn Withers - 4 MIN, 4 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 1-2 FG, 0-1 3PT, 2-2 FT

Paxson Wojcik -  2 MIN, 2 PTS, 0 REB, 0 AST, 0-1 FG, 0-1 3PT, 0-0 FT

Chapel Hill - #11 UNC took down #7 Oklahoma, one of the four remaining undefeated teams in the country, with a final score of 81-69. This concludes a wild stretch of games for the Heels involving five opponents within the Top 25, as they finished off with three wins and two losses.

Active on Defense 

The team defense for UNC last night against the Sooners was incredible, getting in the passing lanes and resulting in a total of 10 steals on the night alongside nine blocks. The rim protection and ball pressure were very evident throughout the contest.

North Carolina was able to hold Oklahoma to 69 points, a team that averaged 80 points during the first 10 games of their schedule. This is a testament to the effort displayed on the defensive end, which at times lacked heavily against previous teams.

This is the kind of performance UNC needs on a game-to-game basis to be as successful as possible.

Productive Starting Five 

All of the starting five except for Elliot Cadeau logged double figures; however, the freshman continued to excel in handling the point guard duties, allowing RJ Davis to play off-ball as he has this season.

 

To no surprise, Davis led with 23 points, continuing to present himself as one of, if not the best, guards in all of college basketball. The White Plains, New York, native has coursed this 2023–2024 with consistency so far, as last night marked his seventh game in a row, marking at least 20 points.

 

From getting inside to the paint for a layup, a catch-and-shoot three, or creating his jump shot using a flurry of moves, Davis is tearing up the competition.

 

Nonetheless, hopefully, this remains a trend in the right direction, as basketball needs the support of all five guys on the floor, and the rest of the team needs to step up if winning a national championship is the goal, as it presumably is.

Returning Back Home 

The Tarheels will take their Christmas break and receive much-needed rest before returning to action on December 29th against the Charleston Southern Buccaneers, who are sitting at a record of 4-8 and going winless on the road so far.

 

The game is set for 8:00 p.m. on ACCN.