Ball security has been a season-long point of emphasis for North Carolina, and following its win over Georgia Tech, that focus finally showed up in a way that head coach Hubert Davis could be happy with, something we haven’t said all year. It also allows the defense to be much better, as it limits transition opportunities.
North Carolina controlled the game by valuing each possession, committing just two turnovers. That approach limited Georgia Tech’s transition chances and gave the Tar Heels quality looks on the offensive end.
After the win, Davis made it clear that the performance was something he wants to see for the rest of the year, and it’s tough to blame him.
“If you can take care of the basketball, you're guaranteeing that you're gonna get a shot every possession. As well as we can score, the versatility that we have, and we're not giving gifts to the other team, I mean, that's just huge,” Davis said, per Rodd Baxley. “I always talk about, you know, rebounding being the number one determining factor of the outcome of game. Also, taking care of the basketball. And so when you look at that, and then we're not a team that really consistently turns people over, that's a huge advantage for us and it was (against Georgia Tech).”
While the Tar Heels can overwhelm opponents with scoring, their ceiling rises significantly when they pair that firepower with defense. By minimizing turnovers, UNC not only got up the shots that it needed to, but it was truly able to figure things out on the other side of the basketball, which has been an issue all season.
When North Carolina rebounds and protects the ball, it becomes exceptionally difficult to beat. Factor that in with better defensive showings and North Carolina might be a team to watch out for.
UNC is currently taking on Syracuse at the time of writing this, and it is playing great basketball, currently up 69-40. It has committed four turnovers, another impressive mark, though the game still has more than 12 minutes remaining in it.
Regardless, this has been a great time for UNC, and it’ll need to continue that this weekend against Duke.