By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — “Rebounding.”
Carolina coach Hubert Davis, in lightning-fast fashion, provided that one-word answer Thursday afternoon when asked what his team had worked on — even before the reporter completed the question — since the No. 9 Tar Heels lost 87–76 on Dec. 5 in New York to No. 5 UConn.
He elaborated, of course, but it was apparent that the Huskies frequent offensive rebounds and the few second shots UNC got didn’t sit well with him.
Davis said he’s been “straightforward and direct” during practice about his expectations to fix the problem as he prepared them for Saturday’s 5:30 clash of 7–2 teams with No. 14 Kentucky in Atlanta at the CBS Sports Classic.
“I think, first of all, just having more of a presence, getting second-chance opportunities, consistently getting our three, four and five to the offensive glass every time, giving us multiple opportunities to be able to score,” Davis said.
The Tar Heels (7–2) only rebounded 23.8% of their misses, while the Huskies’ offensive rebounding percentage was 32.3% and they doubled UNC in second-chance points 14–7.
Davis said that his team hasn’t met his expectations since he wants UNC to be the best rebounding-percentage team in the country, and they are instead 91st at 32%.
To do that, Davis said his team has to box out, be the first to create contact, be more active under the boards and limit opponents’ second shots so that the Tar Heels can get out in transition.
“For us to be the best that we can be — I’ve told the team from day one — we’ve got to be a really good rebounding team,” Davis said. “We have to be a good defensive team, and we’ve got to take care of basketball. Those are things that we have talked about since the UConn game — reemphasizing.”
Junior Jae’Lyn Withers has struggled to have much of an impact during recent games, but Davis said the Louisville transfer, pulling down 8.7 rebounds per 40 minutes, can make a big difference under the boards.
“His ability to run the floor, attack the basket, finish in transition, he can bring something nobody else on the team can bring,” Davis said. “He’s really working hard and getting better every day at practice. He is a huge piece for us to become the team that we want to become.”
The other glaring weakness during the UConn game was the Huskies’ ability to navigate Carolina switching on screens one through four. Carolina had pretty good success with the switching before UConn, but the Huskies had too much talent and experience.
There may not be many teams that throw so many types of actions at UNC’s defense, including flare screens, down screens, dribble handoffs and ball screens, but the Huskies made playing defense a challenge.
“It takes a lot of communication to be able to defend them,” Davis said. “I felt like, for the most part, in that game, we did a really good job for 20, 25 seconds. And then, in the last five, seven seconds, that’s where they were able to be really efficient scoring.”
Davis said he’s talked to his team about “finishing the possession for a full 30 seconds, if needed, to be able to stay locked in and be able to execute so we can get a stop.”
When Kentucky is on its game, as when the Wildcats blew out No. 24 Miami 95–73 in Lexington, Ky., on Nov. 28, there is no issue with playing half-court defense for that long. Against the Hurricanes, the Wildcats got out in transition to create easy shots, racking up 23 fast-break points.
In those games when Kentucky is running well, Davis said that the Wildcats efficiently score in the first six or seven seconds of a possession. He called their pace elite, saying that they run not only after a missed shot or a turnover but after their opponent scores.
“Our transition defense, in any scenario, is going to have to be really good,” Davis said of Kentucky, which is third in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.20. “It’s a team that really does a nice job of not turning the ball over.”
The Carolina game will be the third with another big element for Kentucky, in more ways than one, after 7–1 five-star freshman Aaron Bradshaw fully recovered from foot surgery nine months ago.
One game after fifth-year center Armando Bacot had to mix it up inside with 7–2 UConn center Donovan Clingan, he has another formidable foe on Saturday. In 29 minutes in Saturday’s 81–66 win over Penn, Bradshaw — with a 7–1 wingspan — had 17 points, one 3-pointer, 11 rebounds, three blocks and one steal.
“Having a guy who can consistently score around the rim gives them another asset on the offensive end,” Davis said.
Good perimeter defense will be imperative for UNC. Kentucky is loaded with dangerous shooters, making 41.4% of its 3-point shots, which is fifth in the country. Reed Sheppard, a 6–3 freshman, leads the nation, making 59% of his shots outside the arc.
Having one opposing player go crazy from the outside has been a recurring problem, with the list including Villanova’s Eric Dixon (34 points, three 3-pointers) Arkansas’ Tramon Mark (34 points, four 3-pointers) and Tennessee’s Dalton Knecht (37 points, four 3-pointers).
The problem with Kentucky is that you can’t just stop Sheppard and stop the Wildcats’ perimeter threat. You also have to close out on Rob Dillingham (6–3 freshman from Hickory shooting 51.4% from 3-point range), fifth-year 6–6 guard Antonio Reeves (43.1%) and 6–9 graduate forward Tre Mitchell (34.5%).
NOTES — Ohio State (8–2) faces UCLA (5–3) in the first game of the CBS Sports Classic doubleheader at 3 p.m. … UNC leads the series 25–17, but Kentucky has won three of four CBS Sports Classic meetings. … Carolina has won all its other CBS Sports Classic games, going 3–0 against Ohio State and 2–0 against UCLA. … The Wildcats won both earlier Atlanta meetings, but those were in the Southern Conference tournament (41–20 in 1924 and 43–42 in 1932). … The Wildcats’ 19.6 assists per game is seventh in the country. … Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery and Jenny Dell will be on the CBS call of the game, with Pete Chilcutt the analyst on the Tar Heel Sports Network.
UNC season statistics
Kentucky season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | Kentucky |
| Overall ranking | 16 | 22 |
| Offensive efficiency | 119.1 (7) | 117.7 (13) |
| Defensive efficiency | 97.5 (49) | 98.1 (53) |
| Effective FG% | 52.0 (109) | 58.5 (8) |
| Turnover % | 13.9 (19) | 11.9 (3) |
| Offensive rebound % | 32.8 (91) | 25.9 (279) |
| FTA/FGA | 45.6 (16) | 27.0 (308) |
| Strength of schedule | 38 | 268 |
UNC-Kentucky series
UNC in CBS Sports Classic
Beat Ohio State, 82–74, Dec. 20, 2014, in Chicago
Beat UCLA, 89–76, Dec. 19, 2015, in Brooklyn
Lost to Kentucky, 103–100, Dec. 17, 2016, in Las Vegas
Beat Ohio State, 86–72, Dec. 23, 2017, in New Orleans
Lost to Kentucky, 80–72, Dec. 22, 2018, in Chicago
Beat UCLA, 74–64, Dec. 21, 2019, in Las Vegas
Beat Kentucky, 75–63, Dec. 19, 2020, in Cleveland
Lost to Kentucky, 98–69, Dec. 18, 2021, in Las Vegas
Beat Ohio State, 89–84 (OT), Dec. 17, 2022, in New York
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 10 BYU in SLC | Exhib. |
| 29 | Wednesday | W, 95–53 | vs. Winston-Salem St. | Exhib. |
| November | ||||
| 3 | Monday | W, 94–54 | vs. Central Arkansas | 1–0 |
| 7 | Friday | W, 87–74 | vs. No. 19 Kansas | 2–0 |
| 11 | Tuesday | W, 89–74 | vs. Radford | 3–0 |
| 14 | Friday | W, 97–53 | vs. N.C. Central | 4–0 |
| 18 | Tuesday | W, 73–61 | vs. Navy | 5–0 |
| Fort Myers Tip-Off | ||||
| 25 | Tuesday | W, 85–70 | vs. St. Bonaventure | 6–0 |
| 27 | Thursday | L, 74–58 | vs. No. 9 Michigan State | 6–1 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 2 | Tuesday | W, 67–64 | at Kentucky | 7–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Sunday | W, 81–61 | vs. Georgetown | 8–1 |
| 13 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. USC Upstate | The CW |
| 16 | Tuesday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Tennessee State | ACCN |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | 3 p.m. | vs. Ohio State | CBS |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | 8 p.m. | vs. East Carolina | ACCN |
| 30 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Florida State | ESPN2 |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | 2:15 | at SMU | The CW |
| 10 | Saturday | 6 p.m. | vs. Wake Forest | ACCN |
| 14 | Wednesday | 9 p.m. | at Stanford | ACCN |
| 17 | Saturday | 4 p.m. | at California | ACCN |
| 21 | Wednesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Notre Dame | ESPN2 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 or 2:30 | at No. 24 Virginia | ESPN or ESPNU |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Miami | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 14 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | vs. Pittsburgh | ESPN |
| 17 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at N.C. State | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 21 | Saturday | 1 p.m. | at Syracuse | ABC |
| 23 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 3 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo via @UNC_Basketball
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