3 Stats Malone Must Fix To Get UNC Back on Track

There were many reasons to blame for the Tar Heels' “failure” of a season last year. Being sent home in the first round of the NCAA Tournament as a blue-blood school is far beyond expectations, and many factors contributed to the early exit.

The Tar Heels weren’t exactly consistent last season, and for many stretches they struggled to get things trending in the right direction. Of course, it doesn’t help when your star player goes down with an injury that ultimately sidelines him for the remainder of the season, but there’s more than that to blame for the struggles last season.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) reacts after losing to the VCU Rams in overtime of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

When looking at the numbers, there are a few stats that stand out as culprits for the disappointing season, and give Michael Malone a good blueprint on what needs to be improved heading into his first year as head coach.

North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) drives to the basket Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the VCU Rams at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Free Throws

Free throws were anything but free for North Carolina last season. Shooting at just over 68% on the season, the Tar Heels will have to capitalize from the line next season if they want any shot at making it a successful season.

VCU Rams forward Barry Evans (5) defends the shot of North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Looking at the teams that were successful on the line, it makes sense to see some of them at the top. Houston, Illinois, Vanderbilt, and Alabama all capitalized on the free throw line and had successful seasons in return. Of course, this isn’t a guarantee. South Carolina and Indiana ranked among the highest free-throw shooting teams in the country and missed the NCAA Tournament.

But when looking back on North Carolina’s season, there are a handful of games that come to mind that could have had different outcomes if North Carolina had made their shots from the free-throw line. Among those games is the first round tournament game against VCU, where UNC shot only 60%, including some crucial misses down the stretch.

Mar 19, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jarin Stevenson (15) goes to the basket against VCU Rams forward Michael Belle (8) in the second half of a first round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Second Chance Points

As one of the more underrated stats, second-chance points were not easy to come by for North Carolina as they struggled pretty much all season long.

The top teams in this category were no coincidence. All number one seeds in the tournament, Duke, Michigan, Florida, and Arizona, were all successful at earning second chances on offense.

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; A view of the North Carolina Tar Heels logo on the shorts of forward Caleb Wilson (8) during the second half against the SMU Mustangs at Moody Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Other teams that had successful seasons with a high performance in this statistic: Tennessee, Illinois, Purdue, Arkansas, St. John's, and Virginia. North Carolina, on the other hand, ranked low with only about 11.5 second chance points per game, while the teams at the top consistently tallied up about 14 or higher.

Feb 21, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) shoots prior to the game against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

Rebound Differential

North Carolina didn’t rank particularly poorly in terms of winning the battle on the glass, but compared to the standard, it’s not where it needs to be.

Again, it’s no coincidence that the most successful teams last season ranked high in this category as well. Florida, Arizona, Tennessee, and Duke all were fantastic at winning the rebound battle, and it showed in the win column.

Apr 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone during the second quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

To make next season a successful one by all standards, North Carolina may want to prioritize exceeding expectations in these statistics and bringing success back to Chapel Hill.

Add us as a preferred source on Google