Virginia Tech came to Chapel Hill badly needing a win against the Heels to bolster their resume for a possible NCAA tournament bid. UNC had been perfect at home so far this season and needed a win to continue to move up the ranks in ACC tournament seeding. Caleb Wilson had his cast removed earlier this week but once again could not suit up against a talented but erratic Hokie squad. What can we take away from the Tar Heels’ 89-82 win against the Hokies?
Bench stepping up in a big way for Tar Heels
On a night when starters Derek Dixon and Luka Bogavac contributed just seven points, Jonathan Powell poured in 15 points on five shot attempts, going 4-5 from three and 3-5 on free throws. 12 of those points came in the first half, when the Tar Heels offense struggled to create good looks in the paint and turned the ball over nine times. The third leading scorer for the Tar Heels on the night, Powell also pulled down five rebounds. While Powell scored 17 against USC Upstate earlier this season, this has to be considered Powell’s best game as a Tar Heel.
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Zayden High elevated his play in the two games without Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar. His minutes diminished with the return of Veesaar, but High’s remained an effective presence. With Jarin Stevenson in foul trouble much of the game, High was again needed for major minutes. High consistently found ways to get to the free throw line, draining all eight attempts. Zayden grabbed five rebounds and continued to demonstrate a knack for getting a hand on rebounds heading towards an opponent, deflecting the ball to a teammate instead.
The pair of bench players combined for 27 points and 10 boards, as well as drawing critical fouls on Virginia Tech’s Amana Hansberry. Hansberry played only 19 minutes, well below his season average of 31, and fouled out with more than three minutes left in the game. For the game, Powell and High led the team in +/-, finishing +12 and +13, respectively.
Derek Dixon’s still the starting point guard, but Kyan Evans was the finishing point guard
Dixon played 17 minutes, finishing with two point on four attempts, with three assists against no turnovers. Kyan Evans played 24 minutes and was assigned ball handling responsibilities down the stretch in the second half. Evans finished with five points on two attempts, also with three assists against no turnovers. Big picture, the two combined for seven points, six assists, no turnovers, and three rebounds in 41 minutes.
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Carolina shot 55.8% from the field, 40% from three, and generated 1.35 points per possession, so the statistics show an efficient offense. On the other hand, the offense failed to generate a field goal for more than five minutes late in the second half, and the offense at times looked discombobulated. The point guard position remains the biggest question on a team that otherwise features a lot of answers with post-season play looming. A team can go far with game managers at the point, but opponents will continue to throw more and more ball pressure and physicality at those two until they find ways to make opponents pay for it.
The Tar Heels have played only 15 of 29 games with Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar, and Seth Trimble on the court together
Those are the Tar Heels’ three best players, their three leading scorers and two leading rebounders. Yes, all three were playing during that ill-fated three game road trip back in January. Still, losing one or more of them for half of the season has required a lot of resiliency from the players and adjustments by the coaches. Bench players had to step up. Tactics had to be adjusted. A remade roster had to come together. Hopefully, the injuries over the course of the season yield a deeper, tougher, more versatile Tar Heel team that knows it can win games against good teams even when a critical player has to be on the bench.
What did you take away from last night’s game? Let us know in the comments below.
