For the third consecutive week, UNC’s men’s basketball team enters its weekend matchup off a Tuesday loss.
The most recent disappointment came at Syracuse in an 86-79 loss, when the Orange couldn’t miss a shot and the Tar Heels struggled to get comfortable against zone defense. North Carolina went up briefly late in the second half, only for the Orange to strike back immediately.
One noticeable thing that UNC head coach Hubert Davis failed to do was play his bench a lot, the same issue that got him into trouble last season. No reserve played more than Seth Trimble, who logged 11 minutes, while each starter played at least 30 (Cormac Ryan played the whole 40).
Both teams were pretty even in statistics, though Syracuse generated 10 steals to North Carolina’s four.
The Tar Heels will try and right the ship against Virginia Tech, which beat Florida State on Tuesday for its first win in four games. Not only does UNC need to bounce back, but it will also be Hokies guard Tyler Nickel’s first game since transferring out of Chapel Hill.
Virginia Tech is led by its high-scoring guard duo of Hunter Cattoor and Sean Pedulla, who combine for nearly 30 points per game. After center Lynn Kidd (13 points per game), no other Hokie averages double-digits.
If there’s one thing working in VT’s favor, it’s the fact at least nine players average 10 minutes.
What exactly does UNC need to do in order to nab just its third win in six games?