Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. The North Carolina struggles continue, as Pitt raced to an early lead and never looked back in Carolina's fourth straight loss.

2. Carolina's first half performance was simply too poor to overcome against an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent. The Tar Heels struggled in every aspect of the game in the first 20 minutes. One of the primary culprits was turnovers, as the Tar Heels coughed it up on a third of their possessions in the first half. Pittsburgh quickly figured out they needed to contest every pass. The Panthers had an 18-4 advantage in points off turnovers in the first half.

3. If you combine the second half against Pitt in the Smith Center with the first half Saturday at the Petersen Events Center, the score was Pitt 88, Carolina 48. That's against an opponent that is probably destined for a middle of the ACC finish.

4. The Tar Heels' depth problems are also causing problems up and down the lineup. Numerous players being injured and out or injured and limited are causing Carolina to put unfamiliar combinations on the court. But when those combinations struggle, there are very limited choices to put in the game. So the Tar Heels just keep struggling.

5. Among Carolina's problems that have been less discussed: the Tar Heels simply don't execute very well (which is part of what Roy Williams was talking about recently with respect to talent level as it relates to execution). Carolina tried to run one of the relatively new offensive halfcourt sets early in the second half, but multiple players struggled to get to the right spot and the ball was eventually kicked out of bounds off a Panther to end the set.

6. A sign of how many buttons are trying to be pushed with this team without finding the right solution: look at how many different defenses Carolina played on Saturday. The Tar Heels spent a majority of the day in their traditional man to man, but also sprinkled in more zone than they've used all year, playing at least a half-dozen possessions of zone. But they also threw in a possession of their 44 (full-court defense), and a couple of halfcourt traps. The Tar Heels are trying anything possible to create some havoc defensively (with the added benefit of creating some easier offense), but Pitt still shot 37.7 percent from the field overall even after a horrendous second half. The zone was probably Carolina's best look defensively--expect to see more of that going forward.

7. Pitt had been one of the most porous two-point defense teams in the conference, allowing ACC opponents to convert at 50.2 percent from two-point range. But the Tar Heels managed just 15-for-42 on two-point shots. Of course, that was only part of the overall offensive struggles, as the Tar Heels made just 4-for-18 from three-point distance and only 10-for-21 from the free throw line.

8. One of the most frustrating parts of that game was that it was completely winnable in the second half. Pitt shot terribly in the final 20 minutes (and some credit should probably go to Carolina's multiple defenses), hitting just 22.7 percent from the field. But Carolina's offense was so laborious that the Tar Heels could trim just six points off the 20-point halftime deficit. The Panthers made exactly one field goal in the final 15 minutes of the game...and won by 14 points.

9. Garrison Brooks continued his solid play, notching another double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Armando Bacot also had a double-double (12 points and 11 rebounds) before fouling out.

10. You can't fault Carolina's effort in this one. It's true that their execution and just overall play wasn't very good, but it wasn't due to a lack of effort. To that end: the Tar Heels collected 14 offensive rebounds in the second half, and the aggressiveness on the offensive glass is largely what helped them cut the deficit to ten points late in the game.

11. Stat courtesy of Jones Angell: the Tar Heels are now under .500 for the first time since the season opener of the 2004-05 season, and under .500 after the season opener for the first time since the 8-20 campaign almost two decades ago.

12. Justin Pierce left the game limping and did not return. Carolina simply cannot afford any additional injuries. They travel to Virginia Tech on Wednesday night at 8 p.m.

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Garrison Brooks

Justin Pierce

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