Lucas: Dec. 13 Carolina Basketball Notebook

By Adam Lucas

Carolina returned from New York in the wee hours of Wednesday morning last week and was immediately dropped into a campus preparing for exams. Wednesday was the last day of class and Thursday was a reading day, with exams beginning on Friday and stretching for a week.

That meant that initial practice time was limited immediately after the Connecticut game, and was largely limited to run-and-shoot sessions or individual work. Last month, after a two-day layoff following the trip to the Bahamas, the Tar Heels went through perhaps their worst practice of the season while trying to knock off the accumulated rust.

Hubert Davis made sure something similar didn't occur after the lighter work during exams, running an extremely competitive practice on Sunday in the team's first full session back in the Smith Center together. The practice even included a very short scrimmage, just to ensure everyone understood that expectations were high in the week leading up to the trip to Atlanta to face Kentucky on Saturday.

It was so intense that at one juncture, Jae'Lyn Withers tipped out a potential offensive rebound, and the ball went all the way into the backcourt. That sent Zayden High and Jalen Washington chasing it at full speed all the way to the opposite free throw line.

Notes: That play by Withers was welcome, because Davis has emphasized the need for improved rebounding, especially on the offensive end, with his team. In the last five games, the Tar Heels are averaging just over +3.5 per game in the rebounding category, well below Davis' stated goal to make the glass a foundational part of this year's team. The Tar Heels have been outscored in second chance points twice this year. They lost both games (Villanova and Connecticut)…Wednesday's Thought for the Day was taken from this week's Intro story and video on Paxson Wojcik...The Tar Heels spent this week practicing with the Wilson basketball that will be used in Saturday's game rather than the usual Nike ball...

You'll want to listen to Friday's Carolina Insider podcast for some exclusive comments from the head coach on exactly what he's trying to improve with his 7-2 squad, including work on the backboards and defense. Davis also detailed the week's practice plan before departure for Atlanta. Tuesday was largely a walk-through, including an installation of a new defensive concept and a review of another one. It was, as Davis likes to say, very much a day for the Tar Heels to "work on us" rather than focus on the upcoming opponent…Expect a story about some of Carolina's off-the-court holiday activities later tonight…Easy and personalized Tar Heel gift shopping available here...

There's been plenty of talk about this portion of the UNC nonconference schedule, featuring two games against top-25 KenPom opponents (No. 22 Kentucky Saturday, No. 19 Oklahoma Wednesday in Charlotte) in the next week. But it doesn't get any easier once league play begins following the nonconference finale against Charleston Southern on Dec. 29. The Tar Heels begin January with three straight road games, traveling to No. 50 Pitt, No. 25 Clemson and No. 72 NC State…Tickets to that game against the Buccaneers are already sold out, by the way. The Tar Heels are one of the very few teams in the country that could sell over 20,000 tickets to a Friday game against Charleston Southern. It's the only chance to see Carolina at home between Dec. 2 and Jan. 13. Even if you're still trying to lock down your tickets to that game, all 1st through 6th graders are welcome to the Holiday Kids Clinic on Dec. 30...Welcome back to the pitch-ahead. Courtesy of Elliot Cadeau, the play has returned to the Carolina offensive arsenal. The freshman had a precision pass that traveled half the length of the court to Harrison Ingram in a recent practice, evoking memories of some of the past Tar Heel masters of that play.

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University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Elliot Cadeau

Zayden High

Harrison Ingram

Jalen Washington

Jae'Lyn Withers

Paxson Wojcik

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