Lucas: Rapid Reactions

By Adam Lucas

1. Carolina now has serious problems after a second half collapse in a 73-65 loss to Pitt. Carolina has now lost six of its last eight and seven of its last ten.

2. The Panthers were on fire in the second half from the three-point line, shooting 8-of-12 from the three-point line and 58.3 percent from the field. In the last two second halves, the Tar Heels have now allowed opponents to shoot 63 percent (Georgia Tech) and 58.3 percent (Pitt) from the field. Defense is a major issue, and it's not any one failing, it's a complete breakdown of the entire team, as when the Tar Heels allowed Trey McGowens to breeze through the lane for a backbreaking one-hand dunk with 1:11 left in the game.

3. The inability to guard the basketball led to several of those three-pointers. Some of the Pitt shots were contested, but some were a matter of Carolina having to help against a dribbler and leaving an outside shooter open. The Tar Heels are going to face better guards as the ACC season progresses. They have to figure out a way to stay in front of the ball. The Tar Heels desperately miss Anthony Harris defensively.

4. At the same time Pitt was scorching from the arc, Carolina went ice cold. The Tar Heels made just two of 11 three-pointers in the second half and shot 36.7 percent from the field in the decisive half. The Panthers, a team that has not been good offensively for most of this season, outscored Carolina by 17 points in the second half.

5. Too many Carolina turnovers helped ignite the Pitt offense. The Tar Heels coughed up ten times, which led to 12 points for Jeff Capel's team. Carolina had 17 for the game, which might not sound overwhelmingly bad, but it was a low possession game and what felt like approximately a dozen of those miscues were just careless.

6. As you would expect, the scouting gets significantly tougher in ACC play, and it becomes much more difficult to run the plays you want to run against opponents who know almost everything about you. In the second half, Carolina looked very tentative on offense, and if Brandon Robinson wasn't shooting (13 points), it felt like the Tar Heels had trouble initiating anything. Garrison Brooks had a team-high 21 (and another double-double with 21 and 10, plus his first career three-pointer) but he isn't someone opponents actively try to gameplan for and take away. Jeremiah Francis is still a little unsure when he penetrates, and opponents have learned he's unlikely to penetrate to score.

7. Armando Bacot was better overall and had a very solid first half. He was not as productive in the second half, but still finished with 15 points and nine rebounds.

8. Quite an unexpected wrinkle from Roy Williams, as the Tar Heels came out doubling all ball screens, a dramatic departure from the ball screen defense throughout the Williams era. The switch gave up some easy baskets, but also seemed to unsettle the Panthers a bit, since they certainly could not possibly have prepared for it from Carolina.

9. Credit to Andrew Platek, whose return from an ankle injury overall helped Carolina. Platek's energy was a welcome change from Saturday's lethargic performance, and he finished second on the team with five rebounds even though his shot wasn't falling (1-for-4). He drew a key charge with 11:43 remaining and his dive on the floor at the end of the first half was one of the only times the Tar Heels got on the hardwood all evening.

10. It's going to be very interesting to see how Roy Williams proceeds with this team. He was noticeably encouraging on the sideline in the second half on Wednesday. The simple fact is that until Cole Anthony returns, the personnel isn't going to change. The Tar Heels simply must figure out a way to beat Clemson on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 in a sold-out Smith Center.

11. Great to see Tar Heel alum Jason Capel on the Pittsburgh bench. Somewhat unbelievably, this March marks the 20th anniversary of Capel's 2000 team making their memorable Final Four run. Capel talked eloquently on the Tar Heel Sports Network before the game about the impact head coach Bill Guthridge had on his life both as a basketball coach and as a person.

12. It won't be long before these two teams see each other again. With the bloated Atlantic Coast Conference schedule, Carolina and Pitt will play a rematch in just ten days at the Petersen Events Center.

Players Mentioned

Cole Anthony

Armando Bacot

Garrison Brooks

Jeremiah Francis

Anthony Harris

Andrew Platek

Brandon Robinson

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