It's been quite a week for the Tar Heels. Not sure you could script more highs followed by lows. And according to Hubert Davis after the 79-65 win over Pitt yesterday, he was very proud of how the team responded to the week's events. "It was a lot" he said postgame.
Carolina followed up one of the most iconic wins in the history of the Duke rivalry with getting embarrassed down at Miami a couple days later. That was followed with the news that Caleb Wilson fractured his left hand in the second half at Miami and would be out and the timetable of his return uncertain.
That's a load of bad after the highest of the highs. On top of that, yesterday before the game, we learned that Henri Veesaar would be out due to both an illness and a lower extremity issue.
Carolina was already going to have to be next man up with future lotter pick, Caleb Wilson out, but the team's second best player being out compounded that.
UNC responded, however, and they showed exactly how they're going to have to win games for however long Caleb Wilson is out. It's going to have to be small ball and shooting.
UNC went eight for their first eight from the field to start the game and ended up shooting 47 percent overall from the field. They had four of their five starters finish with double digits. It was a lineup of Derek Dixon, Luka Bogavac, Seth Trimble, Jarin Stevenson, and Zayden High.
Jarin Stevenson stepped up in a big way finishing with 19 points. "We knew we had to make a statement" he said postgame. Stevenson is viewed as the key guy that's going to have to try and pick up the slack for Caleb Wilson.
Let me be clear, nobody can replace Caleb Wilson. That's just the reality when you're one of the top four players in college basketball. However, if Stevenson can continue to shoot at a high clip like he did yesterday (6-7 FG, 3-4 3PT) that's going to be massive especially knowing that you will still have Henri Veesaar out there.
Even though we saw the model of what it needs to look like, yesterday, it should be pointed out that Pitt is not having a great year. Where the real answers will be shown will be against NC State, Louisville, Clemson, and Duke. Four of the six remaining teams on the Tar Heels' schedule.
Maybe Caleb Wilson is back by the season finale at Cameron Indoor Stadium, but if he isn't Carolina has shown the blueprint of what they need to do to stay afloat without him.