Carmichael Comments: Heading Home

CARMICHAEL COMMENTS: INSIDE CAROLINA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL — Edition 6

By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

A few weeks back in this column, we discussed how Carolina was embarking on its most difficult stretch of the non-conference season — five consecutive games away from Carmichael Arena, each against a team from a power conference. A 5-0 stretch would be a sign of a big season ahead, while 0-5 wasn't necessarily a cause for panic, just a chance to identify areas for improvement. Somewhere in between? Probably a sign of both.

Turns out, it's the third option.

After an 86-74 loss at Colorado on Nov. 18, the Tar Heels found themselves at a crossroads of sorts, and a spirited practice session in the Virgin Islands set the tone for the 83-49 stomping of No. 23 (Coaches' Poll) UCLA on Thanksgiving Day and an impressive 71-69 triumph over No. 17 South Florida a day later.

"This is really good experience to have some really good time and score situations," Carolina assistant coach Sylvia Crawley said after the USF game. "These are very good road wins for us. I think this is great experience and is making our team mentally tough. I'm loving what's going on, and when you can go through that and win, that's a positive for me."

The pair of wins set the stage for a blue blood showdown between the Heels and Kentucky Wildcats for the Paradise Jam championship last Saturday. On paper, it seemed that Carolina's key would be to take care of the basketball. Kentucky averaged 27 turnovers forced per game, and Carolina had just played a game against USF in which the Heels gave it away 21 times. The Wildcats employed an aggressive press defense that Carolina was able to solve early and build a 60-47 lead late in the third quarter, but Kentucky rallied back and wore the Tar Heels down to walk away with the 85-75 win.

Enter the trip to Ohio State. The Buckeyes hadn't played in 18 days due to a pair of cancelled games thanks to air quality concerns in California, and the rust showed early with Carolina getting out to a 16-2 lead. Ohio State rallied from there, dominating rebounds 51-28 and offensive rebounds 21-6 to earn a 76-69 win. Much like the Kentucky game, it was a learning experience that didn't result in the sweet taste of victory. Coach Crawley sensed that perhaps the long road grind finally got to the Tar Heels.

"I just didn't think we had a lot of energy and intensity," Crawley said. "They started to make a run and our energy went down the tank from there. Some of our people who normally step up didn't step up tonight. When things break down, that's when we have to pull together. "

So, what needs to change to get the Tar Heels back on track?

REBOUNDING

"I don't think we crashed the boards well," Crawley said after Thursday's setback, where the Buckeyes held the aforementioned 51-28 rebounding edge. "They boxed us out very well. We have to not accept the box outs — get around them, fake to get around."

Coach Crawley also pointed to offense leading to defensive problems on Thursday in Columbus.

"We took some bad shots," she said. "And that created easy rebounds for them. We weren't in position to get an offensive rebound when you took shots like that."

BALANCED SCORING

Carolina's goal is to have all five regular starters — Shayla Bennett, Taylor Koenen, Stephanie Watts, Paris Kea, and Janelle Bailey — reach double-figure scoring in each game. That happened on Thursday in Columbus, albeit with Watts scoring a game-high 15 points. I asked Coach Crawley if she liked the offensive balance, and she respectfully disagreed, referencing a press conference conducted by a certain other Carolina head coach the previous night.

"I didn't," she laughed. "I don't want to sound like Roy Williams, but I thought there were times where we created our own shot and our offense is designed to create for others. Now, granted, we did have 15 assists to (OSU)'s 11, and that surprises me because I thought they played more cohesively."

Coach Crawley went on to say that the Tar Heels need to improve their "harmony" with one another to be able to reach the offense's full potential moving forward.

PLAYING AT HOME

"When you're on the road," Crawley said, "You don't get calls, you have to learn how to create energy from the team or you're outnumbered."

This is the one guarantee for Carolina moving forward — sleeping in their own beds, playing in front of a majority Carolina blue crowd, and enjoying pregame meal the way they like it. Other than the Tar Heels' trip to Myrtle Beach, Carolina won't leave Chapel Hill again until Jan. 3 when ACC play opens at Louisville.

When you have a team that, while experienced, hasn't played with each other very much, playing five in a row on the road adds an extra wrinkle and challenge. That challenge is alleviated for the next week.

FUN IN THE SUN RECAP

Carolina's trip to the Virgin Islands was a business trip, for sure, but the Tar Heels had the chance to explore a bit and experience some local culture. After arriving on Tuesday night, Carolina had practice on Wednesday and spent that afternoon on a catamaran trip, venturing out into the Caribbean Sea. The boat visited a couple of prime spots for snorkeling, and a big group of Tar Heels strapped on their masks and jumped in to explore a shipwreck and a coral reefa. Check out a video of the day here!

The Heels gathered for dinner at the Caribbean Fish Market on Wednesday evening, enjoying each other's company and bonding over local cuisine. It was a great day to experience St. Thomas before the games themselves got started. Though Carolina played on Thanksgiving Day, a delicious buffet of traditional Thanksgiving fare awaited the Heels postgame. Before Carolina headed back home, the Tar Heels enjoyed one final team meal at the Tavern on the Water (those were some great ribs!).

UP NEXT: (Finally) back home, and that's the Main(e) thing.

At long last, the Tar Heels will end their globetrotting ways and settle into Carmichael Arena for three home games in eight days. The stretch begins Sunday with a visit from the defending America East champion Maine Black Bears. Maine, remarkably, is playing all three Tobacco Road ACC schools on its non-conference slate this season. Carolina is the second of the three on the list, and all the Heels need to do to figure out Maine's strength is ask the archrivals from Durham. Duke traveled to Bangor on Nov. 15 and barely escaped with a 66-63 win over the Black Bears. After Maine's trip to Carmichael on Sunday, they'll visit NC State on Dec. 15 at Reynolds Coliseum.

Sunday's game is Ugly Sweater Day (jury's still out on whether or not this broadcaster will don one), and we hope to see a big crowd for the 2 p.m. tipoff.
If you can't join us in person, we'll be at full strength once again on the Tar Heel Sports Network. Catch the call on 97.9 FM/1360 AM WCHL in the Triangle, online at GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, or on TuneIn.com and the TuneIn app (search "Tar Heel Sports Network").

Talk to you Sunday! Go Heels!