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Just halfway through ACC play as North Carolina goes on vacation for the week. With a 7-3 record, they’re tied for third in the league and have a chance at a double-buy in Greensboro.
Hubert Davis is in his second season at the helm, and while the nation’s preseason No. 1 team has failed to live up to expectations, North Carolina is now 15-6 despite a number of unfortunate interruptions. Lost.
There are a variety of reasons why the Tar Heels aren’t ranked, but we’re going to look at key figures from both on-court stats and other factors to explain the results and why they have a .714 winning percentage.
No full roster games played (0)
There’s no denying the impact that injuries have had on this North Carolina team.At no point this season has the Tar Heels gone all out, as four members of the rotation missed a combined 24 games.
In the starting lineup, Armando Bako missed the ACC opener against Virginia Tech and Pete Nance missed three games, including the 65-58 loss in Virginia.
Not to be missed is the game in which Baccott and Nance left early. Baccott finished the North Carolina contest with the Cavaliers less than two minutes after him, and Nance missed his final 38 minutes of action against Wake Forest.
Baccott was absent or injured at the end of five of the Tar Heels’ six losses. The only contest his injury status didn’t affect was the road match against Pittsburgh.
Forward Jalen Washington missed the first 10 games of the season and missed North Carolina’s recent matchup against Boston College.
Puff Johnson, whose North Carolina career has been hampered by injuries, has missed five games this season, including the final two against North Carolina State and Syracuse.
Injuries affect every team in college basketball at some point in the season, but the Tar Heels would have benefited and probably won multiple games with a healthier roster.
31.8 Shooting Percentage from Three-Point Range
Replacing Brady Manek has always been difficult for North Carolina, and most of all for his outside shooting.
Starters RJ Davis (38.2%) and Pete Nance (35.5%) were the main contributors across the arc, though more limited attempts were made by Puff Johnson (36.8%) and DiMarco Dunn (39.1%). However, tar heels rank 284th in the country and 13th in the ACC with a percentage of 3 points.
Guard Caleb Love, who was an efficient 3-for-5 across the arc on Tuesday, sits 28% on the season with a team-high 143 attempts. Davis is next closest with 102, but Nance, Johnson and Dunn have a total of 104 attempts from his three-point range.
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Leakey Black improved his shooting efficiency during the offseason and at one point was statistically the best three-point shooter in North Carolina. After that, Black got sober, and after making only two of his final 17 shots from across the arc he made it 30% for the year.
The main problem with tar heel is that this percentage has gotten worse in conference play. Although only 0.2%, shooting from 3-point range has gotten worse over the 10 ACC contests.
18.1 free throws and 24.8 free throw attempts per game
Reaching the free-throw line is a staple of North Carolina basketball, especially with big players and an emphasis on the offensive board. This season, the Tar Heels have done a great job pulling fouls and participating in the Charity Stripes.
In the numbers above, they rank fourth in free throws made and fifth in free throws attempted in college basketball. Alabama is the only Power Six program to rank highly in any category.
Unsurprisingly, Armando Bacot reached the most lines in North Carolina by a wide margin. With 144 attempts, 64 more than RJ Davis, Baccott averages 7.2 free throws per game.
Davis’ 87.8% conversion rate from charity stripes ranks it #1 in ACC and #34 overall in college basketball.
Both Pete Nance (78.7%) and Caleb Love (77.1%) have found success from the line, helping Tar Heels to finish in the top five in both categories.
As the regular season enters the home stretch, North Carolina’s reaching the free-throw line and a successful conversion will go a long way in determining their finish in the ACC.
12.52 bench points per game
With the advent of the Iron Five closing out the 2021-2022 season, it’s no surprise that this number is so low for the Tar Heels. His bench points per game was 12.52, placing him 335th in the nation, alongside Florida State and slightly ahead of ACC’s Notre Dame.
This stat isn’t necessarily positive or negative when it comes to long-term projections, but it does show how much North Carolina relies on its starting five to score.
Kansas and UCLA’s top 25 programs rank similarly to the Tar Heels in this category, but until recently, the Jayhawks had the edge in terms of wins.
Those numbers are Jalen Washington’s career-best points and minutes in Charlottesville, and may even be exaggerated or misleading for North Carolina. Washington stepped off the bench as he was sent off.
Rotations are always shortened in college basketball once postseason play begins, with the best possible lineups hitting the court. Nevertheless, it will be important for the Tar Heels to get more bench his scores in the stretch.
Injuries and foul trouble can strike and any of the five rotation players can be called upon to play a bigger role in important matches.
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