By R.L. Bynum
The personnel dramatically changed from last season, but Coach Hubert Davis’ bench usage has not.
His familiar pattern leans heavily on a trusted core and keeps the rotation short, notably riding the iron-five starting lineup to the 2022 Final Four.
Last season, he consistently only played three reserves double-digit minutes, and that’s been the case in both games since Seth Trimble returned.
No. 12 Carolina (12–1) plays its ACC opener at 7 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN2) in the Smith Center against Florida State (7–6).
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The Tar Heels rank 295th nationally in bench scoring (19.23 points per game). In the four games Trimble has started, the bench has averaged 21 points, but reserves only averaged 13 against Kansas and Ohio State.
The Tar Heels primarily used an eight-man rotation last season, with eight players logging double-digit minutes in 24 games (64.9%). That’s typical for most college teams.
After the core of six players who have started games — Trimble, Kyan Evans, Luka Bogavac, Jarin Stevenson, Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar — it’s clear that Davis has again settled into an eight-man rotation, at least for now, that includes Jonathan Powell and Derek Dixon.
Reserve centers Zayden High (6.4 minutes per game) and James Brown (5.6) appear to be in line for limited minutes for now, with Stevenson serving as the backup five in the last couple of games. High and Brown got their chances earlier in the season but didn’t contribute much.
The backcourt combinations have rarely left much playing time for Virginia Tech transfer Jaydon Young (averaging 5.8 minutes) and freshman Isaiah Denis (4.0).
Based on the number of players who have played at least 10 minutes, Davis is using his bench less than last season. The only players outside of that eight-man rotation who have played double-digit minutes in any game are High (11:14 against Central Florida) and Young (13 against ETSU).
Three times, Davis has played only one reserve at least 10 minutes: against Kansas with Trimble in the lineup (Powell played 6:09 and Dixon 7:52), against Radford (Dixon played seven minutes) and against Michigan State (Dixon played eight minutes).
The game at Pittsburgh last season was the only one in which only one reserve played 10 minutes. Two reserves played 10 minutes in seven games (at Notre Dame, at N.C. State, vs. Stanford, vs. Boston College, vs. Pittsburgh, at Virginia Tech and vs. Duke in ACC tournament), and four reserves played 10 minutes in five games (vs. Elon, vs. Alabama, vs. Florida, vs. N.C. State and at Florida State).
UNC rotation playing time
| Opp. | Evans | ST | LB | Wilson | HV | JS | Powell | Dixon | Others — x |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 24:59 | 24:20 | 20:14 | 24:54 | 25:06 | 19:08 | 15:16 | 13:21 | High 11:14 |
| KU | 32:08 | 36:05 | 19:23 | 30:39 | 37:34 | 23:28 | 6:09 | 7:52 | None |
| R’ford | 24 | — | 31 | 22 | 28 | 25 | 22 | 7 | None |
| NCCU | 27 | — | 25 | 29 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 16 | None |
| Navy | 30 | — | 33 | 27 | 31 | 34 | 16 | 8 | None |
| St. B | 25:01 | — | 29:48 | 32:03 | 35:27 | 36:34 | 17:47 | 15:48 | None |
| MSU | 33 | — | 35 | 33 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 8 | None |
| UK | 18 | — | 29 | 35 | 36 | 34 | 21 | 24 | None |
| G’town | 20 | — | 31 | 35 | 36 | 31 | 14 | 27 | None |
| USCU | 23 | — | 32 | 32 | 30 | 23 | 24 | 21 | None |
| ETSU | 29 | — | 7 | 14 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 14 | Young 13 |
| OSU | 15:40 | 36:16 | 13:13 | 34:14 | 32:11 | 26:44 | 14:33 | 24:00 | None |
| ECU | 17:24 | 26:03 | 23:51 | 23:47 | 26:17 | 16:43 | 19:07 | 11:25 | None |
X — Other players with at least 10 minutes; ST — Seth Trimble; LB — Luka Bogavac; HV — Henri Veesaar; JS — Jarin Stevenson
UNC season statistics
| Team | League | Overall | NET* |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 4 Duke | 10–1 | 21–2 | 3 |
| No. 20 Clemson | 10–1 | 20–4 | 30 |
| No. 18 Virginia | 9–2 | 20–3 | 16 |
| N.C. State | 9–2 | 18–6 | 27 |
| No. 14 North Carolina | 7–3 | 19–4 | 24 |
| Miami | 7–3 | 18–5 | 38 |
| No. 24 Louisville | 7–4 | 17–6 | 17 |
| SMU | 5–5 | 16–7 | 34 |
| California | 5–6 | 17–7 | 59 |
| Virginia Tech | 5–6 | 16–8 | 55 |
| Florida State | 4–6 | 11–12 | 95 |
| Stanford | 4–7 | 15–9 | 69 |
| Syracuse | 4–7 | 13–11 | 68 |
| Wake Forest | 2–8 | 11–12 | 67 |
| Boston College | 2–8 | 9–14 | 147 |
| Georgia Tech | 2–9 | 11–13 | 151 |
| Notre Dame | 2–9 | 11–13 | 89 |
| Pittsburgh | 2–9 | 9–15 | 121 |
* — Through Saturday games
Saturday’s results
N.C. State 82, Virginia Tech 71
No. 18 Virginia 72, Syracuse 59
No. 24 Louisville 88, Wake Forest 80
Miami 74, Boston College 68
SMU 86, Pittsburgh 67
Florida State 82, Notre Dame 79
No. 14 North Carolina 71, No. 4 Duke 68
No. 20 Clemson 77, California 55
Stanford 95, Georgia Tech 72
Monday’s game
N.C. State at No. 24 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN
Tuesday’s games
No. 14 North Carolina at Miami, 7 p.m., ESPN
No. 18 Virginia at Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Notre Dame at SMU, 7 p.m., ACC Network
No. 4 Duke at Pittsburgh, 9 p.m., ESPN
Wednesday’s games
Virginia Tech at No. 20 Clemson, ACC Network
California at Syracuse, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Wake Forest at Georgia Tech, 9 p.m., ACC Network
Stanford at Boston College, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday, Feb. 14, games
No. 20 Clemson at No. 4 Duke, noon, ESPN
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame, noon, The CW
California at Boston College, noon, ACC Network
Pittsburgh at No. 14 North Carolina, 2 p.m., ESPN
Florida State at Virginia Tech, 2 p.m., ACC Network
SMU at Syracuse, 2 p.m., The CW
No. 24 Louisville vs. Baylor in Fort Worth, Texas, 4 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2
Stanford at Wake Forest, 4 p.m., ACC Network
Miami at N.C. State, 4 p.m., ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU
No. 18 Virginia vs. Ohio State in Nashville, 8 p.m., Fox
| Date | Month/day | Time | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 24 | Friday | L, 78–76 | vs. No. 16 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. 11 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 | W, 85–80 | at No. 18 Virginia | 16–4, 4–3 |
| 31 | Saturday | W, 91–75 | at Georgia Tech | 17–4, 5–3 |
| February | ||||
| 2 | Monday | W, 87–77 | vs. Syracuse | 18–4, 6–3 |
| 7 | Saturday | W, 71–68 | vs. No. 4 Duke | 19–4, 7–3 |
| 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. 24 Louisville | ESPN |
| 28 | Saturday | 6:30 or 8:30 | vs. Virginia Tech | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| March | ||||
| 3 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | vs. No. 20 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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