University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
December 1, 2013 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Adam Lucas
1. It's pretty simple: UAB crushed Carolina on the backboards, finishing with a 52-37 edge on the boards and getting a whopping 21 offensive rebounds. Miraculously, Carolina actually won the second chance scoring battle (13-12), but that was due largely to UAB's inability to convert around the hoop rather than Carolina's stingy defense.
"They kind of manhandled us," Marcus Paige said in a perfect summation.
2. UAB's size around the perimeter bothered Marcus Paige. Carolina's leading scorer shot just 1-for-4 in the first half and 6-for-16 in the game. The Blazers cut off Paige's ability to penetrate and lift the ball over his man, and they were extremely conscious of the sophomore even when they were playing zone. As Jerod Haase said in his pregame comments, "We're very aware of how good Marcus Paige has been this year." It showed in the way they defended him, and that mired the Tar Heel offense in quicksand.
"He's going to be focused on," Roy Williams said. "They did a nice job switching, and they played aggressively against him."
3. The most dangerous part about Chad Frazier pregame was not his field goal percentage or his scoring average, but the "From" line in his bio. Frazier, a Charlotte native, becomes the latest North Carolina native to torch UNC. This wasn't even a situation of Carolina overlooking Frazier out of high school, as he had to go the junior college route and then transferred into UAB. The guard finished with 25 points, with 12 of them coming from the free throw line.
4. Carolina's last 30 seconds of the first half were as negative against UAB as they were positive against Louisville. Against the Cardinals, Paige tossed in a game-tying three-pointer just before the horn to provide some halftime momentum. But in Birmingham, the Tar Heels had the ball with 20 seconds remaining and never seemed to look at their head coach or have any awareness of the clock and situation. The possession ended with Jackson Simmons hoisting a 17-footer, and UAB converted two free throws on the other end to take a 12-point lead into the locker room.
5. That type of game is exactly why Roy Williams plays these nonconference road games. Carolina had several late and close situations where they needed a stop or a basket. And although they didn't always get that stop or basket, you don't want the first time they need those big plays to be in a conference game. The Tar Heels grew up some on Sunday night--not necessarily in a pleasant way, but in a way that had to be done.
Adam Lucas is the editor of CAROLINA.
