By R.L. Bynum
LOUISVILLE — With defenses hyper-focused on making RJ Davis work for every basket and the fifth-year guard having difficulty finding his shooting rhythm, North Carolina will have to lean on freshmen Ian Jackson and Drake Powell.
What made the final minutes of the 83–70 loss at Louisville more of a challenge is that Powell fouled out with 4:17 left, and Jackson barely touched the ball in the final minutes.
Is not getting the ball to your best offensive player when you badly need a basket a coaching issue? Is it a product of Elliot Cadeau, who struggled in the game, and others not creating opportunities for Jackson?
Whatever the problem is, the Tar Heels (8–6, 1–1 ACC) will have to fix it for Saturday’s noon matchup (CBS) at Notre Dame (7–6, 1–1).
Jackson never played more than 28 minutes before averaging 34½ minutes and 24.3 points in the last three games, scoring eight 3-pointers and showing improvement on defense.
“We’ve got to figure out how to get guys good shots,” said Jackson, who has shown the ability to blow past defenders and create his shot easily when given the chance.
“I put in the work, and I think I can get by anybody,” Jackson said. “I think I can score on anybody. So, I was out there just playing basketball, taking advantage. If it wasn’t there, give it to my teammates, but just playing basketball.”
Again, UNC didn’t have Seth Trimble, who made a key defensive play in the 76–64 victory on Dec. 21 in New York over No. 15 UCLA. His defense could have made the difference down the stretch against Louisville.
After the Louisville game, Coach Hubert Davis only said that “there is no update” on Trimble, which suggests he won’t play against the Irish. RJ Davis said he hoped Trimble would be back soon, but they want to ensure he’s healthy and ready to go.
“Having Seth away is a huge miss for us,” RJ Davis said. “He contributes so much to this team, offensively and defensively, and he’s a focal point for this team. He does a lot of the little things that we all need. A lot of his energy and effort plays. But that doesn’t excuse for the way we should have closed out the game [Wednesday].”
The Irish have also been missing a key player: sophomore 6–0, 190-pound point guard Markus Burton. He was the team’s leading scorer at 18.2 points per game through six games, but hasn’t played since suffering a right knee injury on Nov. 26 against Rutgers. He didn’t require surgery and is progressing, but it’s not clear when he’ll be back.
With Burton out, the scoring load has fallen on junior 6–9, 215-pound forward Tae Davis (16.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists) and sophomore 6–5, 200-pound guard Braeden Shrewsberry (16.2 points). Fifth-year 6–4, 190-pound guard Matt Allocco, a Princeton transfer, averages 10.2 points and 3.8 assists.
NOTES — The Irish have lost to two opponents that UNC beat: at home 84–77 on Nov. 22 against Elon and in their last game on Dec. 31 at Georgia Tech 86–75. … UNC is 30–9 all-time against Notre Dame, winning 84–51 on March 5 in Chapel Hill in the only meeting last season. UNC is 6–4 at Notre Dame, including a 63–59 victory in the last visit on Feb. 22, 2023. … The Tar Heels have won three straight and 12 of the last 14 against Notre Dame. … This will be UNC’s first Quad 2 game. … In Carolina’s last three losses, it has made only 14 of 72 3-point attempts (19.4%).
UNC season statistics
Notre Dame season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | Notre Dame |
| Overall ranking | 35 | 91 |
| Offensive efficiency | 118.0 (26) | 113.2 (61) |
| Defensive efficiency | 99.7 (66) | 105.1 (141) |
| Effective FG% | 53.0 (93) | 54.2 (70) |
| Turnover % | 14.7 (33) | 15.7 (73) |
| Offensive rebound % | 28.0 (241) | 29.7 (196) |
| FTA/FGA | 39.1 (54) | 29.1 (278) |
| Strength of schedule | 7 | 143 |
Series: UNC 30, Notre Dame 9
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 Duke | 6–0 | 17–1 | 2 |
| No. 18 Clemson | 6–1 | 16–4 | 30 |
| No. 14 Virginia | 5–1 | 16–2 | 13 |
| Miami | 4–2 | 15–4 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 4–2 | 13–6 | 29 |
| Virginia Tech | 4–3 | 15–5 | 49 |
| No. 22 North Carolina | 3–3 | 15–4 | 27 |
| SMU | 3–3 | 14–5 | 32 |
| Stanford | 3–3 | 14–5 | 67 |
| No. 23 Louisville | 3–3 | 13–5 | 15 |
| Syracuse | 3–3 | 12–7 | 75 |
| California | 2–4 | 14–5 | 60 |
| Wake Forest | 2–4 | 11–8 | 65 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–4 | 11–8 | 142 |
| Boston College | 2–4 | 9–10 | 157 |
| Notre Dame | 1–5 | 10–9 | 81 |
| Florida State | 1–5 | 8–11 | 116 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–5 | 8–11 | 120 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Tuesday’s results
Florida State 65, Miami 63
N.C. State 80, No. 18 Clemson 76, OT
SMU 91, Wake Forest 79
Wednesday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina 91, Notre Dame 69
Boston College 65, Pittsburgh 62
Virginia Tech 76, Syracuse 74
Saturday’s games
No. 22 North Carolina at No. 14 Virginia, noon, ESPN2
No. 18 Clemson at Georgia Tech, noon, ACC Network
N.C. State at Pittsburgh, noon, ESPNU
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, noon, The CW
Miami at Syracuse, 2 p.m., ACC Network
Virginia Tech at No. 23 Louisville, 2:15, The CW
Florida State at SMU, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Wake Forest at No. 5 Duke, noon, The CW
Boston College at Notre Dame, 6 p.m., ACC Network
California at Stanford, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Monday’s game
No. 23 Louisville at No. 5 Duke, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
Wake Forest at Pittsburgh, 6 p.m., ACC Network
No. 14 Virginia at Notre Dame, 7 p.m., ESPN2
Syracuse at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ESPN U
Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., ACC Network
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 13 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. 10 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 | W, 80–62 | vs. USC Upstate | 9–1 |
| 16 | Tuesday | W, 77–58 | vs. ETSU | 10–1 |
| CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta | ||||
| 20 | Saturday | W, 71–70 | vs. Ohio State | 11–1 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 22 | Monday | W, 99–51 | vs. East Carolina | 12–1 |
| 30 | Tuesday | W, 79–66 | vs. Florida State | 13–1, 1–0 ACC |
| January | ||||
| 3 | Saturday | L, 97–83 | at SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 10 | Saturday | W, 87–84 | vs. Wake Forest | 14–2, 2–1 |
| 14 | Wednesday | L, 95–90 | at Stanford | 14–3, 2–2 |
| 17 | Saturday | L, 84–78 | at California | 14–4, 2–3 |
| 21 | Wednesday | W, 91–69 | vs. Notre Dame | 15–4, 3–3 |
| 24 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at No. 14 Virginia | ESPN |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 5 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. 23 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 18 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 5 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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