UNC has the potential to reject early deficit

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancellation of the 2020 ACC and NCAA tournaments last March, and nine months later, that’s also why the Maui Invitational is taking place this week in the mountains from North Carolina and not on its eponymous island.

North Carolina’s 2019-20 basketball season came to an end as the reality of the situation set in, providing a rare reprieve for a program that was not used to wasting seasons by having to watch March Madness. unfold.

Last year, the Tar Heels struggled to hold leads, just as they struggled to rally to wins. The UNC lost five games in which they held a double-digit lead in the second period and yet claimed only one victory after calling in double digits. That victory came against NC State – the eternal gift of a program that continues to give Roy Williams – and the Wolfpack’s biggest lead was 11 points at the start of the first half.

It’s a new season for the Tar Heels, equipped with the ACC preseason player of the year and the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class, and the potential to eliminate unwanted tendencies from the last year was on display Monday at Harrah’s Cherokee Center. UNLV made their first five shots to forge a 13-0 lead and it was unclear what was more troubling: UNC’s inability to shoot or lethargy on the defensive side.

It was human nature for flashbacks to pop up in everyone’s mind, as memories of 20-point halftime deficits against Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh are still relatively recent. While those sudden pains may have been alarming, Roy Williams quickly dismissed any concerns about a complete lineup change – a strategic move that was ineffective last season due to limited depth – which sparked a defensive push and unlocked the basket cover.

“When we came down, [Williams] was not concerned about the score, ”said main goalkeeper Andrew Platek after the 78-51 victory. “I think we worried for a second, but then we just knew that if we played our principles and played our game plan, everything would be fine.

UNC needed less than 10 minutes to turn a 16-3 deficit into a 29-27 lead, then put the game aside with an overlapping 17-1 halftime. The Rebels, who needed three minutes and a bit of a change to score their first five baskets, spent nearly 18 minutes with just five baskets as the Tar Heels turned their opening of the tournament into a makeshift game.

“After the first six minutes or so I thought we had done some good things and got better,” said Williams, “and I hope and think we learned a lot from tonight.”

The Tar Heels are clearly a work in progress. There’s a lot of talent on hand, although a lot of it can be found in a freshman class that is always trying to keep up with the speed of the college game and the demands of a Temple head coach. of fame.

Platek delivered the veteran minutes after UNC fell behind in double digits, setting off defensive shots while scoring eight of his team’s first 19 points. While he may lack the prestige of his much-touted teammates, his intangibles at such a time provided a critical example for players wearing the UNC uniform for one of their first times.

The team’s ability to not only bounce back from its initial deficit, but to do so with insistence, should serve as a generator of confidence, according to Williams.

“I hope so and think he should,” said the 18th-year UNC head coach. “I congratulated them during the time out. I congratulated them at halftime. And I congratulated them after the game, so hopefully that will be something that helps them, no doubt about it.

“But we have to play better. I mean, you can’t spot a lot of 13 people and think you’re going to come back and win, so we have to play better during that time. “

There are still plenty of lessons to be learned, but the Tar Heels passed their first test surrounded by surfboards in the freezing temperatures of Asheville on Monday night.