By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — Who will Coach Hubert Davis start with the return of Seth Trimble and the continued ascent of freshman Ian Jackson?
That was far from settled based on Trimble coming off the bench in Tuesday’s 82–67 home win over SMU because the junior guard had only practiced once and hadn’t played since Dec. 21.
“I felt it was better for him to come off the bench and find his rhythm,” Davis said, citing those two factors. “What it will look like [Saturday], I’m not sure. But I will say this — Seth will be on the floor a lot because he has earned it and because we need it.”
Trimble showed a bit of rust, missing all three shots and going scoreless in 26 minutes with two rebounds and three assists.
If Trimble returns to the starting lineup for UNC (10–6, 3–1 ACC) at 4 p.m. Saturday at N.C. State (9–6, 2–2), it isn’t clear who else will start.
There are clues from the lineup combinations against the Mustangs, but Elliot Cadeau’s early foul trouble muddles how much you can draw from them.
Early on, Trimble came in for Cadeau, playing with Jackson, RJ Davis, Drake Powell and a center. That group played 4½ minutes later in the first half, the first four minutes of the second half and late in the second half. Jackson and Trimble played two first-half minutes with Powell, Withers and a center.
“It was great having him back out there on the floor,” Coach Davis said of Trimble. “He’s such a big piece of our team in terms of what he can do on both ends of the floor, his ability to three-level score, his ability to defend. He’s a bigger, stronger guard. He can guard multiple positions. He’s a junior, he’s an experienced player who has gone through and been through a number of different situations, and those are the type of players that you want out there on the floor.”
Jackson’s high-level play in the last few games demands plenty of playing time and that’s obviously going to continue. He’s averaged 23.6 points and 2.6 3-pointers in the last five games, including becoming the first freshman in program history to score at least 23 in four consecutive games.
His defense continues to improve, and Jackson showed he can be a force under the boards by pulling down a team-high seven rebounds against SMU.
“The rebounding, especially over the last couple of games — he has stepped it up,” Coach Davis said. “He’s done a really nice job on the defensive boards, getting in the lane, and helping us rebound the basketball. He sees the benefit of it, not only for himself, but how it helps out the team. That’s a sign of growth in Ian, and it’s something that he’ll continue to do the remainder of the season.”
However, Jackson’s tremendous offensive skills continue to get the most attention and are putting him up higher on opponents’ scouting reports, which is no doubt giving RJ Davis more of a chance to make plays.
Coach Davis said having another dangerous scorer has been huge for the Tar Heels.
“It comes really easy for him,” Davis said. “His ability, his quickness, his size, his athleticism, shooting the ball from 3, mid-range, getting to the basket. I also think he’s doing a really good job of attacking the basket and getting fouled and getting to the free throw line.
“Where I’ve seen him grow the most is his leadership, his talking, his defense, just playing with tremendous energy and enthusiasm and playing at a really high level right now,” Davis said.
Coach Davis played down going up against former UNC player Dontrez Styles, who transferred to N.C. State in the offseason after one season at Georgetown. Davis said that may not be as big of a deal to him because he got traded three times in the NBA and often faced former players and coaches.
When asked if N.C. State was a rival, Davis said, “I consider everybody a rival. I don’t look at anybody differently. When you’re competing, I’m ready to go. So, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what conference you’re in, my approach and the way that I want our team to compete is indifferent toward one team or one program compared to another. It’s one approach, and for us to compete at the highest level.”
N.C. State lost key players from last season’s Final Four team in D.J. Horne, D.J. Burns, Casey Morsell and Mohamed Diarra.
Senior Bowling Green transfer Marcus Hill, a 6–4, 185-pound guard, leads the Wolfpack in scoring (12.8 points per game). Senior 6–4, 195-pound guard Jayden Allen, a returnee, is scoring 12.2 points per game, with a team-high 18 steals.
Styles is averaging 9.6 points and Ben Middlebrooks is averaging 9.4.
Taking over at center for N.C. State is 6–10, 240-pound senior Brandon Huntley-Hatfield (8.9 points, team-leading 5.1 rebounds), who collected 15 points and six rebounds last season for Louisville in the Cardinals’ 86–70 loss on Jan. 16 in Chapel Hill.
Although the Wolfpack roster has changed, Davis said that State still has a similar approach.
“From a defensive standpoint, they’ve always been a team that applies tremendous pressure on the ball,” Davis said. “They do a fantastic job of getting steals and deflections. After made baskets, dead-ball situations, full court, after free throws. Very physical. They do a terrific job of scoring in the paint, attacking the paint, getting to the free throw line, versatility and athleticism.”
Here’s what Davis said on other subjects:
— On Jalen Washington getting half of his 18 blocks in the last two games:
“It’s not only his ability to block shots, but also to alter shots as well. There have been times — especially at the beginning of the year — where we’re giving up too many points in the paint, whether it was Michigan State or Kansas or Auburn. Having somebody in the lane who can block and alter shots — which J-Wash has been doing over the last couple of games — has been a huge benefit for us defensively. It’s something that he can do on a consistent basis, and I expect him to do the remainder of the season. And it really helps us out on the defensive end.”
— On Cadeau’s habit of getting into foul trouble:
“Obviously, he’s a huge piece for us as a team. And recently, and at times throughout the year, he’s gotten early foul trouble, and that’s not good for us. We are a better basketball team when Elliot is not in foul trouble and he’s out there on the floor, and so we’ve had a number of conversations about him continuing to be aggressive on the defensive end, but not put himself in a position where he’s fouling. And that’s going to be huge for us against N.C. State because, with their pressure, one of the things that has allowed us to have some success against them is having multiple ballhandlers out there. So, having Elliot and Seth and RJ out there is a huge benefit for us, and being able to handle their pressure.”
— On playing a tighter rotation:
“Whatever gives us the best chance to win, those are the guys who will be out there on the floor.”
NOTES — This will be UNC’s 10th game away from Chapel Hill out of 17, while it will be N.C. State’s 11th home game out of 16. … In the last week, Notre Dame has lost by one point to UNC (74–73) and N.C. State (66–65), with Markus Burton missing a last-second shot in each game. … Carolina leads the series 166–81 (the most wins against any opponent), including 69–48 in Raleigh and 19–6 in the arena now called the Lenovo Center. That’s the second-highest winning percentage in the arena of a current ACC team (76%), behind only Boston College’s Conte Forum (10–1). … Wes Durham and Dan Bonner will be on the ACC Network call, with Tyler Zeller, the Tar Heel Sports Network analyst.
UNC season statistics
N.C. State season statistics
KenPom comparison
| Category | UNC | N.C. State |
| Overall ranking | 30 | 90 |
| Offensive efficiency | 117.3 (25) | 111.3 (79) |
| Defensive efficiency | 98.1 (50) | 103.4 (120) |
| Effective FG% | 53.5 (82) | 51.2 (153) |
| Turnover % | 15.2 (45) | 14.9 (32) |
| Offensive rebound % | 27.2 (260) | 29.9 (192) |
| FTA/FGA | 39.1 (54) | 37.8 (72) |
| Strength of schedule | 5 | 157 |
Series: UNC 166, N.C. State 81
Results since 2004
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 8–0 | 19–1 | 2 |
| No. 22 Clemson | 7–1 | 17–4 | 29 |
| No. 17 Virginia | 6–2 | 17–3 | 16 |
| Miami | 6–2 | 17–4 | 36 |
| N.C. State | 6–2 | 15–6 | 27 |
| No. 16 North Carolina | 4–3 | 16–4 | 26 |
| SMU | 4–3 | 15–5 | 31 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–4 | 16–6 | 54 |
| No. 20 Louisville | 4–4 | 14–6 | 19 |
| California | 3–5 | 15–6 | 56 |
| Stanford | 3–5 | 14–7 | 77 |
| Syracuse | 3–5 | 12–9 | 80 |
| Boston College | 2–5 | 9–11 | 157 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–6 | 11–10 | 140 |
| Notre Dame | 2–6 | 11–10 | 82 |
| Wake Forest | 2–6 | 11–10 | 67 |
| Florida State | 2–6 | 9–12 | 107 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–6 | 9–12 | 118 |
* — Through Wednesday games
Monday’s result
No. 4 Duke 83, No. 20 Louisville 52
Tuesday’s results
Pittsburgh 80, Wake Forest 76, OT
N.C. State 88, Syracuse 68
No. 17 Virginia 100, Notre Dame 97, 2 OTs
Virginia Tech 71, Georgia Tech 65
Wednesday’s results
Florida State 63, California 61
Miami 79, Stanford 70
Saturday’s games
No. 4 Duke at Virginia Tech, noon, ESPN
N.C. State at Wake Forest, noon, TV TBA
Pittsburgh at No. 22 Clemson, noon, ACC Network
No. 17 Virginia at Boston College, 1:30, The CW
No. 16 North Carolina at Georgia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at No. 23 Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPN
California at Miami, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Florida State, 6 p.m., ACC Network
Notre Dame at Syracuse, 6 p.m., The CW
Monday’s game
Syracuse at No. 16 North Carolina, 7 p.m., ESPN
| 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. 14 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. 7 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 | W, 85–80 | at No. 17 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | 2 p.m. | at Georgia Tech | ACCN |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | 7 p.m. | vs. Syracuse | ESPN |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 4 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. 20 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 4 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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