Carmichael Comments: Myrtle Beach Roundup

CARMICHAEL COMMENTS: Inside Carolina Women's Basketball — Edition 9
By: Matt Krause (@MattKrausePxP)

There's no substitution for winning. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

However, especially on the heels of Tuesday's win over Rice, there are a lot of positives to take away from Carolina's Thursday setback in overtime against Auburn. Rather than break down all the minutiae of the Thursday loss, we'll dive into Tuesday positives later in the column.

Sure, the sting of losing will linger through the Christmas break, and for a myriad of reasons, you would have loved a win over a 9-1 SEC team to add to the non-conference resume and to boost team confidence. But, (and yes, I said you can't use a "but" to justify a loss) given the way points of the first and early second half went for the Tar Heels, the fact that Carolina was in a position to win is a testament to the team's mental toughness.

Auburn's aggressive zone and press defense flummoxed the Tar Heels by forcing 15 turnovers and building a five-point lead by halftime, and the early second half was more of the same. Not only did Auburn's lead swell to 11 by the 5:37 mark of the third quarter, but the Tar Heels had to deal with a weird situation in which the shot clock above one of the baskets malfunctioned. Both teams were sent to their benches while the arena staff attempted to rectify the situation, and while it was eventually fixed, it caused a choppiness in the action that threw both teams off. As the half went along, Carolina's own zone defense and hot shooting allowed the Tar Heels to claw back, even with Shayla Bennett missing some time with an injury. With an unconventional lineup and their floor general, the Tar Heels found a way to erase the deficit.

Ultimately, Bennett returned, but Auburn edged the Tar Heels in overtime, 86-81. The pain of the loss isn't to be overlooked, but I, for one, know that Carolina has made strides in team cohesion and mentality. We've seen a handful of games earlier this season in which the Tar Heels have withered under pressure and crumbled in uncomfortable situations. That didn't happen on Thursday. Make no mistake, Carolina needs to turn this growth into victories once ACC play arrives, but I'm not reaching for the panic button after this loss.

Here's some takeaways from the trip to the Grand Strand:

Kea's Return

After sitting out three games, Paris Kea returned to the Carolina lineup, albeit in a bench role, on Thursday against Auburn. Kea certainly looked healthier than she was prior to receiving treatment on her foot, and was critical to Carolina going blow-for-blow with Auburn down the stretch. The all-ACC selection was 6-for-12 from the field, scoring 16 points over 25 minutes. She also pulled in four rebounds and handed out four assists. We'll see if Carolina opts to insert Kea back into the starting lineup against Howard on Dec. 28 or in the ACC opener against Louisville on Jan. 3. There's still some recovery that needs to take place to get her to 100%, but a healthy Paris Kea will be, well, key, to the Tar Heels' success.

Bennett's Big Game

Shayla Bennett, playing her first Carolina game in her home state of South Carolina on Tuesday, had arguably her most well-rounded contest in Carolina blue. Bennett recorded her first Carolina double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, and showed off her court vision with a handful of long outlet passes and nifty feeds.

Her growth and development has certainly caught the eye of Carolina assistant coach Sylvia Crawley.

"She's really starting to get it," Crawley said. "When we watch film of the last game, she made a lot of great plays. She's helping the helper, she's getting back on transition, she's getting the ball on the outlet where we want it up the court. The light bulb's turning on for her."

Special Assistant Billy Lee has his own perspective on Bennett's development.

"I think she's playing 'hurry up and wait' basketball right now," Lee explained. "She pushes it up when it's there, but then she'll pull it back if it's not there, and that allows her to make better decisions. I think she's been outrunning herself. She's a tremendous passer and knows who her shooters are, she knows who to get the ball to if they're open."

Team Locks In

Coach Crawley's first takeaway from Tuesday's win over Rice was the team's ability to execute the defensive game plan. Rice featured 6'9 post player Nancy Mulkey, whose size made her a lynchpin of the Owls' offensive scheme. Carolina was able to deny the high post all night long, and as a result, Rice scored just six points in the final 15 minutes of the first half.

"I thought Janelle Bailey set the tone for the entire game with denying the high post," Crawley said. "That was our whole strategy. Everything they (Rice) run goes through the high post. Even if her man caught it, she was way out of position."

Crawley praised the sometimes unseen efforts of Associate Head Coach Andrew Calder, who compiles the Tar Heels' scouting reports.

"He said 'if you're playing poker and you know the cards in the other player's hands, you know what move they're going to make next. They're going to the high post, and if the point guard goes (a certain way) you know they're going to do this.' Our players were very well prepared."

Up Next

Carolina takes eight days off before facing Howard to close out non-conference play on Friday, Dec. 28 at 2:00 p.m. inside Carmichael Arena. Join us on the Tar Heel Sports Network via GoHeels.com, the GoHeels app, and TuneIn (search "Tar Heel Sports Network").

Before then, enjoy your Christmas and Holiday seasons with your family and friends. I hope you take a moment to reflect on things you are grateful for. You (Carolina fans) are certainly on that list for me!

Merry Christmas! Deck the Heels!

-Matt