University of North Carolina Athletics
Turner's Take: Guarding Test
March 11, 2015 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers, Turner Walston
By Turner Walston
The last time Carolina matched up with Boston College –early February in Chestnut Hill– Eagle junior Olivier Hanlan dropped 30 on the Heels. In Wednesday's ACC Tournament matchup, the Tar Heel objective was to stay in front of the ACC's leading scorers. Carolina's ability to do that propelled the Heels to an 81-63 win.
On the he Eagles' first possession,Hanlan lost Marcus Paige for a backdoor lay-up. But from there, it was primarily J.P. Tokoto and Joel Berry II who were tasked with defending him. He went the next 15 minutes of game time without scoring, coming up empty on six straight shots and finishing the first half shooting just 2-10. Tokoto said that showing Hanlan three different defenders was a strategy in stopping him. “Marcus started on him, [Joel] played him and I played him so that's three different looks, that kind of keeps him guessing,” he said. “I feel like it really bothered him, and we did a great job of that.”
Roy Williams pointed to a Tokoto block as a key contribution in bothering him. “I think that always affects a guy, because J.P.'s quick enough and long enough that he can do those things,” the Tar Heel head coach said.
The Eagles did their best to get Hanlan open, bringing screens at the top of the key to create space, but the Tar Heels were able to get around them and make things difficult. “They set a lot of screens for him,” Tokoto said, “but like any good defensive player, you're going to be aware of things, and you're aware of your surroundings and who's around him, so it wasn't that tough, but they're a good team and they looked to get him open.”
Berry was key off the bench, giving the team 18 good minutes of quick feet and hands sticking with the league's best scorer. “I just tried to do the best I could getting around the screens,” Berry said. “It's not easy at all, especially when you're trying to chase a great player like Hanlan, so I just tried to be relentless coming off the screens, and I did a pretty good job disrupting him. Some shots he made, and I got called for some fouls, but other than that I think I did a pretty good job.”
One on one, Tokoto said the key to staying with Hanlan was giving him one step, not allowing him to get the jump on the defender, and making him go left. “He didn't pull up too much; he's more of a catch and shoot guy,” Tokoto said. “He knocked down a couple today, but they were tough for him.” Tough indeed: Hanlan was just 5-19 from the field, for 18 points, seven of which came at the free throw line. And he didn't damage the Heels measurably with the game in the balance: half of Hanlan's points came in the last seven minutes, with the Tar Heels out in front by at least nine.
Tokoto and Berry stuck to Hanlan, forcing the player who accounts for 30 percent of his team's field goal attempts to look for teammates. Hanlan handed out four assists, but the Tar Heels could live with that. Boston College's leading scorer on Wednesday was guard Aaron Brown, who himself shot 6-12 for 20 points. Williams knew that Hanlan and Brown would get their field goal attempts; he wanted his team to force misses. “We were trying to make sure they didn't shoot as good a percentage,” he said.
The help defense collapsed on Hanlan when he drove, forcing him to look for teammates. Even the Tar Heels who weren't assigned to Hanlan had to know where he was at all times. “You have to be very aware,” Nate Britt said. “He likes to drive, so our rotations have to be there because they have shooters that they can kick out to. He dominates the ball a lot in their offense, so you just always have to be aware of where he is on the court at all times.”
That kind of defensive intensity and communication will need to carry through the remainder of the ACC Tournament, and there's no rest for the weary: having dispatched the Eagles, Carolina now draws fourth-seeded Louisville and another high-scoring guard. Asked if there was another player defenses have to account for quite like Hanlan, Tokoto didn't hesitate: “Terry Rozier, the guy I've got to match up tomorrow,” he said of the All-ACC sophomore guard, who averages 17 points for the Cardinals. “We've got to take care of him as well, so looking on to the next one ,we've got a tough team with Louisville and we'll look to do the same thing defensively.”
