Why Lack of Cohesion Is Contributing to UNC's Slow Start

The North Carolina Tar Heels have a revamped roster this season, and it showed in the season opener, as they needed all 40 minutes to put away Western Carolina.

During their postgame pressers, Michael Malone and Matt Able discussed how the offense has gone through ebbs and flows.

What Malone and Able Said

“Right now, we’re a team that takes two steps forward, three steps back,” Malone said. “We can’t sustain anything. We have really good stretches, but we’re unable to sustain it for long stretches, and we have to find a way to build those habits where we can start putting longer stretches together, putting halves together, putting a full 40 minutes together.”

Nov 2, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Michael Malone and North Carolina Tar Heels guard Terrence Brown (1) during the first half against the Western Carolina Catamounts at Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“We definitely have spurts,” Able said. “I feel like we take two steps forward, but then we don’t close the door on teams because there were times you just need to get a kill, which for us is three stops in a row, and I feel like we were unable to get that in key moments.”

Reasons for UNC's struggles

The Tar Heels retooled their roster this offseason, infusing 11 players via the transfer portal and recruiting class. Nobody expected North Carolina to be a well-oiled machine after the season opener, but we expected more from this team than what they've shown so far.

Excluding last season's returnees (Jarin Stevenson, Jaydon Young, and Isaiah Denis), this is an entirely new group. It will take time for the chemistry to gel and materialize. As Malone and Able each said during their pressers, there are times when the offense is clicking, and you see the vision Malone has with this team. Then there are others when the operation is stagnant.

Nov 2, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Isaiah Denis (2) brings the ball to the basket against Western Carolina Catamounts forward Fola Sodipo (23) during the second half at Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That will come with time, but in the meantime, these growing pains are expected. Luckily for the Tar Heels, they have nearly a month to acclimate to the system before the level of competition ramps up, with Arkansas visiting Chapel Hill on Dec. 1.

Nonetheless, North Carolina has several areas to improve as the season progresses, with the number of moving parts being the main reason for the sluggish start to the Malone era. Against Wofford, I expect Malone and the coaching staff to mix around rotations and personnel groupings to identify which ones produce the most success.

Personally, the lineup featuring Neoklis Avdalas, Terrence Brown, Matt Able, Maximo Adams, and Jarin Stevenson appears to be the best as currently constructed.

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