Loss to Michigan State highlights problems for defending champs
After suffering a truly heartbreaking loss against Villanova in the 2016 National Championship, the North Carolina Tar Heels came into the 2016–2017 season seeking vengeance. They were able to achieve this by beating Gonzaga and ending the season as the National Champions.
After five games into the season, the Heels looked primed to defend their championship. They were 5–0 and averaging almost 93 points a game. These were the Tar Heels that fans had come to expect. However, the loss to Michigan State showed that this Tar Heel team is solid but not great.
Even with 24 turnovers, the Spartans looked to be in a different league than the Tar Heels. They played amazing defensively and held the Tar Heels to half their season average in points, 45. They have a talented backcourt in Joshua Langford, who scored 23 points, and Cassius Winston but their bread and butter is their guys inside. Miles Bridges, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Nick Ward form one of the best front-courts in the country. They weren’t amazing in this game but they far outclassed the front-court for the Tar Heels. Here lies one of the problems for the Tar Heels. Their front-court.
UNC has had wonderful bigs for what it seems like forever. Think Sean May, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyler Zeller, Brice Johnson, and Kennedy Meeks. This year’s bigs are just not on that level. Even Roy Williams admitted it. Before the season began, Williams was quoted saying “I’m scared to death about those big guys”. So far it seems like he was right to be scared. Against weaker competition, it seemed like the bigs would be fine. However, a huge step up in competition shows that these guys have a long way to go. The three bigs Williams talks about (Brandon Huffman, Stanley Manley, and Garrison Brooks) combined for 1–10 from the field and 10 rebounds. These guys are very inexperienced and aren’t as talented as bigs from before.
It wasn’t just the fault of the bigs though. UNC shot around 25% from the field and 6% from three. They missed 13 layups. Their two best scorers, Luke Maye and Joel Berry, went a combined 5–24 from the field. Maye had been a revelation so far this season. Coming into the game, he was averaging 21.2 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game. However, he struggled with the length of the Spartans. Joel Berry couldn’t find any space to work with. He hasn’t shot well so far this season and this continued in this game.
The Tar Heels just aren’t as good the top teams in the nation. This has a lot to do with the recruiting wall that Roy Williams has faced amid an NCAA investigation. Several recruits, most notably Brandon Ingram, have expressed the reason why they didn’t sign with the Tar Heels was because of the investigation. This didn’t hurt UNC in the past years but it has finally caught up to the Heels. They just don’t have the talent to compete with top-tier teams.
However, it isn’t all negative. Despite this one bad game, Luke Maye has been great. Joel Berry is one of the best point guards in the nation. Despite his non-existent jumper, Theo Pinson is one of the most versatile wings in the nation. They have some pieces. They’re good. They’ll win 25 games this year. But they don’t have that high-end talent and experience that has led to them winning in the past couple years. That could hurt them come tournament time.
