Lucas: Discipline And Details

By Adam Lucas

PARADISE ISLAND—Early on Thursday, Hubert Davis was discussing what it would take to win a game against a team like Villanova.

"It's the discipline and details of doing little things consistently well," he said. "Make routine plays routinely. Especially down the stretch, you have to do that. You have to do the little things, like box outs, defending without fouling, getting loose balls, setting screens, making free throws, hitting wide open shots—those are the things you have to do down the stretch in order to come out with a win."

Unfortunately, that's a list that includes too many items where the Tar Heels didn't check the box in Thursday's 83-81 overtime loss to Villanova. They did miss a couple open shots. They did foul. They did miss a couple box outs.

That wasn't enough to win what turned into a high-level, NCAA Tournament type of game. This game was about defense and technical fouls and adjustments and…

Free throws. It was a whole lot of free throws.

Villanova's ability to get to the free throw line and excel at the line eventually determined the outcome. The Wildcats made 32 of 36 free throws—not a surprise from a team that has led the nation in free throw percentage the last two seasons. The Tar Heels knew they had to keep them off the line, talked about it on the scouting report, and they simply couldn't do it.

"Villanova is really good at posting up all their players, even their guards," Davis said on the Tar Heel Sports Network. "They do a really good job of being patient and pivoting and pump faking and selling the foul. Our guys, for the most part, did a really good job defensively. Unfortunately, some fouls were called that put them on the free throw line, and that's one thing they do really well is shoot free throws."

They proved it on Thanksgiving. The constant procession to the foul line hurt in two ways—it saved the Wildcats on a day when they weren't particularly adroit at shooting from the field. They made just 38.3 percent from the field and 22.7 percent from the three-point line. Yes, those are the winning numbers. The errant shots didn't matter because they reliably got to the line when it counted, including making nine of 10 free throws in overtime.

But it wasn't just a points problem. It was also a personnel problem. Three Tar Heels fouled out—Harrison Ingram, Jae'Lyn Withers and Elliot Cadeau. Those losses were critical when the game went into overtime, when a full-strength Wildcat team took advantage of a Tar Heel team with limited options. The lack of Ingram, especially, diminished Carolina's offensive versatility on a day when RJ Davis (8-for-22) and Armando Bacot (a huge 18 rebounds but 4-for-10 from the field and zero trips to the free throw line) were not at their best.

And even with all those problems, the Tar Heels had the ball with a chance to win the game in regulation. Villanova's ball pressure prevented Davis from firing the ball to Cormac Ryan breaking towards the rim, and Davis instead missed an off-balance jumper.

You would be perfectly within your rights to pin this loss on the officials. Some fans will, and it was certainly a very unusual game. It's not often you see 14 of the final 19 fouls called on one team

But here's the thing: Carolina has to be a little better. The Tar Heels can't foul three-point shooters (they did it twice on Thursday and have done it multiple times in Nassau). They have to finish the defensive possession by securing the rebound, thereby not allowing ten second chance points after halftime.

They have to do all the things, in other words, that Davis identified early on Thursday as keys to winning this type of game. And they're going to have to do it again—and even better—on Friday against either Arkansas or Memphis, two very capable teams.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Armando Bacot

Elliot Cadeau

RJ Davis

Harrison Ingram

Cormac Ryan

Jae'Lyn Withers

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