Stephen R. Sylvanie | USA TODAY Sports
Five Takeaways From UNC's Victory Over UCLA: Attacking, Freshman Energy and a Productive Trip
North Carolina got its first win of December with Saturday’s 74-64 victory over UCLA in the CBS Sports Classic, snapping a four-game losing streak.
Armando Bacot had 15 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Tar Heels (7-5), while freshman Anthony Harris made 5 of 7 field goal attempts to finish with 14 points in a breakout performance.
Five takeaways from the victory:
On the Attack
The Tar Heels have had a tough time generating easy baskets all season as the transition game hasn’t yet found its footing.
On Saturday, Carolina got the easiest buckets its had all year, going 22 of 35 at the free throw line — season-highs for both makes and attempts.
Armando Bacot got to the line 10 times thanks to his aggressive play on the interior, while Jeremiah Francis generated 10 attempts thanks to his ability to get to the basket.
Finally, it appears the Tar Heels are starting to figure things out with their fast break, outscoring the Bruins 16-4 while converting 9 of 18 layups.
Freshman Energy
The two lesser-known freshmen in Carolina’s 2019 recruiting class have already jumped to the top of the backcourt rotation thanks to their performances on the West Coast trip.
Francis was excellent in both games, averaging 11.5 points and 3.5 assists in 25.5 minutes while Harris averaged 11 points and 15.5 minutes on the trip, making 7 of his 11 field goal attempts.
In addition to providing the scoring that’s been missing on the perimeter, both made multiple 3-pointers over the course of the trip — something the Tar Heels desperately need to help space the floor for the big men.
Moving forward, it appears Francis is poised to take over as the starter at point guard until Cole Anthony returns, while Harris will take the majority of the minutes that Andrew Platek and Christian Keeling have been playing this season.
Both Francis and Harris are more dynamic offensive players who have the ability to drive and keep defenses honest from deep.
Bigs are Back
Largely, it had been just one big as Garrison Brooks was forced to carry the post offense.
Brooks was great again on Saturday, hitting 5 of 11 field goal attempts on his way to 12 points and 9 rebounds, but the Tar Heels finally got Bacot back, who broke out of a 3/20 shooting slump to make 5 of his 7 attempts to finish with 15 points.
Maybe Bacot had been affected by a sprained ankle or maybe not, but on Saturday, he was tough around the basket and rewarded for his work at the free throw line.
If Carolina is to stay afloat without Anthony, it’s going to need both big men on top of their game for the start of ACC play.
Another Cold Snap
The Tar Heels have had awful stretches in every game this month, and Saturday was no different as the Bruins began the second half on a 12-0 run to draw within 36-35.
Carolina never surrendered the lead, but it came pretty darn close as it made just 3 of 9 field goal attempts over the first 12 minutes of the half.
What’s most concerning is that after taking a 13-point lead into the half, the Tar Heels didn’t come out of the locker room with a ton of energy.
Eventually, things picked up, but this team isn’t good enough to not play at full-speed for all 40 minutes and expect to win.
This has been a trend.
A Productive Trip
With or without Anthony, Carolina wasn’t going to win at Gonzaga.
The Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the nation with an excellent offense, and few teams would have been capable of going into their place and coming out with a victory.
Relative to the current situation, the Tar Heels did what they needed to on the trip, showing marked improvement from what had transpired over the past few weeks while the contributions from Francis and Harris were reason for optimism.
UCLA isn’t a particularly good team, but Mick Cronin’s teams will always fight and play hard, and despite a few hiccups, Carolina weathered the storm and came out victorious.
It’s been hard to point to two-game stretches when Carolina clearly got better this season, but there’s no doubt the Tar Heels took a step forward this week.
