University of North Carolina Athletics
Lucas: Rapid Reactions
March 14, 2014 | Men's Basketball
1. Before the game, Roy Williams was frank about what had happened to his team against Duke in Durham on Saturday: "They just killed us on the boards," he said, going on to elaborate that the Tar Heels couldn't allow that to happen again against a physical Pittsburgh team. But that's exactly what did happen, as the Panthers held a 20-12 advantage on the glass in the first half. Pitt was especially impressive keeping the Tar Heels off the offensive glass, as Carolina was outscored 21-8 on second chance points. Unfortunately, that continued a streak during which the Tar Heels have been outscored 44-19 on second chance points over the last five halves.
Williams burned through three different big men in the first 3:44 of the second half in search of someone who could limit Pittsburgh's second chances, with both Kennedy Meeks and Desmond Hubert playing their way to the bench with missed assignments. They gave way to Joel James, who drew a roar from the Tar Heel bench when he battled between two Panthers for a defensive rebound. A minute later, it was Brice Johnson's turn, as his blocked shot erased a Pitt second chance opportunity. And a couple minutes later, Jackson Simmons got a chance.
Carolina has now been outrebounded in three of the last four games.
2. Pretty safe bet Williams won't wait long before having the discussion with his team about the significant difference in sense of urgency between the first 30 minutes and the final 10 minutes. The Tar Heels almost miraculously cut the deficit to four points with 1:03 left with a furious rally that featured full-court pressure that rendered Pitt unable to get the ball across midcourt. But those 10 high-intensity minutes weren't enough to overcome the initial 30 lethargic minutes, and that's almost always going to be the case in a postseason, win-or-go-home scenario.
"Three of my guys are playing their first ACC Tournament game ever," Williams said before the game. Some of that inexperience showed (Nate Britt was all over the court during the comeback but would love to have back a late turnover plus a failed conversion at the rim with 18 seconds left that would've cut it to two points), and unfortunately, that's a lesson you usually only learn by experience.
3. It's fair to be concerned about the Tar Heel post production, and it will be interesting to see who starts the first NCAA Tournament game at the five. Kennedy Meeks has been mostly ineffective for four straight games, which could crack the door for Brice Johnson, who played the vast majority of the minutes down the stretch on Friday and finished with 14 points.
4. Speaking of post production, give credit to Pitt's Talib Zanna for one of the most dominating performances by an opposing big man against Carolina in quite some time. The fifth-year senior--Pitt has two fifth-year seniors who play key minutes, and it showed--racked up 19 points and a monstrous 21 rebounds, with 10 of them coming on the offensive end. The Panthers outcompeted Carolina at every position, but the difference was especially noticeable in the paint. Zanna fouled out with 1:03 left.
5. J.P. Tokoto has played slightly outside his comfort zone in the last two first halves, and it's hurt the Tar Heels. Tokoto looked a little rattled at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Saturday night, and started slowly against Pitt on Friday. As usual, Tokoto had the toughest defensive assignment--he was checking Lamar Patterson, who was feisty after being left off first-team All-ACC--but the Tar Heels need him to play within his abilities. There are times that taking a bad jump shot is the same as a live ball turnover because it allows the opponent to run out in transition. Tokoto also got himself into foul trouble by committing two silly fouls--one hand check and one when he just barreled at James Robinson--in the first 14 minutes of the game.
However, he was able to play the rest of the half without picking up what would've been a disastrous foul, and his energy was a big part of Carolina's surge going into halftime to close the deficit to 10. Although he didn't shoot the ball well, Tokoto finished as the team's leading rebounder. The Tar Heels need that same production from him in the early going to avoid slow starts.
6. The defeat puts Carolina in a very unfamiliar position going into the NCAA Tournament. This year marks only the fourth time in school history that the Tar Heels will enter the NCAA Tournament on a two-game losing streak. The other instances:
2003-04, in Roy Williams' first season at Carolina, when UNC won a first-round game against Air Force and then lost to Texas in Denver.
1999-2000, in Bill Guthridge's final season, as Carolina unexpectedly got hot and went all the way to the Final Four.
1985-86, when Dean Smith steered the Tar Heels into the round of 16 before falling to eventual national champion Louisville.
It will be interesting to see how Williams handles this break with his team. In 2000, Guthridge famously kept his team in Charlotte for an extra practice before allowing them to return home.
Adam Lucas is the editor of CAROLINA.
