By R.L. Bynum
FORT MYERS, Fla. — Depth and the backup center question, background concerns when No. 16 North Carolina won its first six games, became more glaring against one of the best teams in the country.
No. 11 Michigan State, with its size inside and deep bench, showed in its 74–58 victory Thursday at the Fort Myers Tip-Off that the Tar Heels’ solid, cohesive starting five alone won’t be enough against elite teams.
Coach Hubert Davis notably went with an “iron five” during Carolina’s run to the 2022 national championship game. He has more talent on the bench this season, but the substitution patterns, which Assistant Coach Brad Frederick mainly engineers, show that the trust in that group has been limited. UNC (6–1) got outscored by a combined 41–16 in bench scoring Thursday and in the win over Kansas.
The question of who will back up junior Arizona transfer Henri Veesaar, who played 37½ minutes against Kansas, hasn’t produced many satisfying answers through seven games.
Getting the first call off the bench until Thursday was Zayden High, who came into the season with little experience and after missing last season.
He’s had his moments this season, but the lack of experience has shown, and he hasn’t been that effective, even against lesser opponents. It was telling that, against Michigan, it was James Brown who came in with 7:13 left in the first half when Veesaar picked up his second foul.
The only statistic Brown produced during five first-half minutes, in his earliest action in a game this season, was two fouls. When High got his chance before halftime, he had two points and two rebounds in four minutes.
The bottom line is that a five-point lead turned into a five-point deficit by halftime, with that duo playing instead of Veesaar.
There aren’t any better solutions on the bench. High Point transfer Ivan Matlekovic is 7–0, but he’s more of a project at this point, and figures to get most of his minutes late in blowout victories.
There are solutions in the starting lineup, though, that would give more minutes to Carolina’s more talented backcourt and wing reserves rather than High or Brown.
At 6–11, freshman Caleb Wilson has shown that he can mix it up with big men inside and is one option, although it might put him at greater risk of foul trouble. He picked up his second foul late in the first half.
The other option is junior 6–10 Alabama transfer Jarin Stevenson (above photo), a good defender who has shown he can guard one through five. He only managed one rebound against Michigan State, though.
Once Seth Trimble returns, possibly by the end of December, the Stevenson/Wilson option at the five will be even more viable.
In the interim, Wilson or Stevenson subbing for Veesaar at the five would give more minutes to others, such as Jonathan Powell and Jaydon Young.
Powell (below photo) was physical in a season-high 23 minutes against the Spartans, tying for the team-high with seven rebounds.
Young didn’t play against either Michigan State or Kansas, two games in which the lack of trust in the bench was evident. With Seth Trimble in the lineup against the Jayhawks, Luka Bogavac scored five of the 11 bench points. Against the Spartans, the only bench scoring was Powell’s three points and two from High.
Size was a major issue last season, when Davis had to settle for playing 6–9 Ven-Allen Lubin, now at N.C. State, at center. With that issue fixed by the newcomers, giving UNC six players 6–10 or taller, the allocation of those minutes has become the issue so far this season.
The next challenge inside will come at Kentucky at 9:30 Tuesday (ESPN) when Veesaar and other centers will have to deal with 7–0 freshman Wildcats center Malachi Moreno, who averages 10.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and two blocks.
This isn’t a vintage UK team, but Carolina will need more of a contribution from its bench to win at Rupp Arena.
UNC season statistics
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 9 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. 22 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. 12 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 No. 24 SMU | 13–2, 1–1 |
| 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 p.m. | at No. 23 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. 6 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. Clemson | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| 7 | Saturday | 6:30 | at No. 6 Duke | ESPN |
| 10–14 | Tues.-Sat. | ACC tournament | Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photos courtesy of Intersport
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