Since Opening Night against Elon, the North Carolina Tar Heels get a majority of their scoring production from their talented backcourt.
RJ Davis leads UNC with 17.4 points per game, Ian Jackson is second with 13.4, Seth Trimble is third with 12 per game and Elliot Cadeau has 10.
In recent games, particularly during Saturday’s 92-73 win over Miami (FL) that set a new, season-best 5-game winning streak, North Carolina’s post players are leading the way.
Ven-Allen Lubin, the Tar Heels’ starting center, led his teammates with 19 points. It was starting power forward Jae’Lyn Withers, though, who had the greatest impact with 11 points and 10 rebounds – his second double-double in UNC’s past three games – and third overall this year
“I think it’s (post play) been really big for us,” Withers said during postgame interviews. “It’s been creating a presence down low – to where it’s opening up a lot of things – for the guards to produce and contribute.”
Hubert Davis inserted Withers into the starting lineup as North Carolina began its season, then went towards a 4-guard lineup as we crept closer to 2025.
Since shifting towards a more traditional, 1-5 lineup that’s helping the Tar Heels win games more consistently, Withers finds himself a starter again – and he is delivering.
While Withers’ greatest asset is his size (6’9″), a rejuvenated perimeter shooting ability helps his case, too. Withers is shooting 13-of-20 from deep in UNC’s past six games. North Carolina won every previous game Withers makes multiple 3-pointers, with the lone exception being Kansas back in November.
“I would say confidence has been the biggest thing for me,” Withers said. “To start the season, I was confident, but I guess things weren’t as efficient or consistent as they needed to be. Finding minutes, finding my niche out there, how I can fit in, was pretty difficult. So I think that’s been the biggest thing for me, just playing basketball.”
It doesn’t matter how Withers produces for the Tar Heels, it just matters that he produces. UNC is playing its best basketball of the year – and Withers is a huge part of that.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Jae’Lyn Withers’s double-double helps UNC down Miami on Saturday
