Why Latest Guard Rotation Can Save Tar Heels' Season

North Carolina has had one blemish all season long, and that has been the guard play. The team has lacked a floor general and a guy who can run the offense.

This problem may have been solved, as head coach Hubert Davis has found a guard rotation through trial and error. It took over half the season, but it is better late than never.

Here is how UNC found its rotation at guard.

Guards struggled at the start

The two main guards at the start of the season were the long-time Tar Heel in Seth Trimble and Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans. Then the first guard off the bench was freshman Luka Bogavac.

Trimble went down with an injury; Evans and Bogavac struggled to run the UNC offense and produce. Evans averages just 5.5 points and three assists on 34% from the floor. Bogavac averages just under 10 points and 2.6 assists on 39% from the field.

Due to the underwhelming play from the guards, the Tar Heels needed someone to step up hugely, or this team would never get over the hump. This led to a constant rotation change at guard until something finally stuck.

3 guards showed out

Jaydon Young, a lifelong UNC fan and Virginia Tech transfer, finally got his moment. After only getting a handful of minutes per game, his number was called a few weeks ago against Wake Forest. Young took over the game with clutch shots, big-time free throws and a defensive intensity that the Tar Heels were missing.

Jonathan Powell is a lengthy guard who can cause problems on defense and knock down a three on the other end. He has been one of the few consistent points for UNC this season.

Then there is the biggest find of them all, Derek Dixon. The freshman guard has completely shifted the season trajectory for the Tar Heels. A constant rotation of guards was needed because the Tar Heels were desperate to find a true point guard. It took them a while to figure out what they had, but UNC struck gold with Dixon.

Dixon gets the ball out of the basket and is immediately looking ahead to feed his teammates. He is unselfish and will set up players in the half court, and he is an exceptional three-point shooter.

Current rotation

So, now that we have established the season-long journey of these guards, let’s see how the rotation sits today.

Trimble and Dixon look like the two guards who will consistently start throughout the rest of the season. They play together well, as Trimble just has to worry about scoring the ball, and Dixon will run the offense.

Young got his first start last week versus Notre Dame and started versus Virginia. He looks to be in and out of the starting lineup with Jarin Stevenson, depending on the opponent. Young does not get starter minutes, but he has been getting around an average of 12 to 14 minutes a game.

Bogavac’s sixth-man role has stayed the same for UNC throughout the season, but his play has improved as of late. In the first three games of ACC play, Bogavac combined for just eight points. Since then, he has scored 43 points in the last four games.

Powell gets an average of 10 to 15 minutes a night, but Evans is the biggest loser when it comes to the new rotation. In the last three games, he has not eclipsed 10 minutes, and that does not look like it will change based on how UNC has been playing.

After months of game action, Davis has finally found a guard rotation that works.

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