North Carolina withstood a 4-13 shooting day by Cole Anthony in their 76-67 win over Alabama.
If the Tar Heels want to go deep into March, they’ll need for players other than Anthony to step up. Certainly having Brandon Robinson back will help.
But if you know Roy Williams, you know he wants to have two big men in the lineup. That will largely fall on Garrison Brooks and freshman, Armando Bacot.
Today against Alabama, Tar Heel fans saw why they are so important. The two big men combined to score 32 points and grab 22 rebounds. Bacot was especially important in the second half when he shot 5-5 for a team high 12 points and 7 rebounds. This was on the heels of Brooks scoring 16 points in the first half. With North Carolina still searching for consistent three point shooters, this type of performance will be a need more than a luxury.
North Carolina will have to continue to look inside the way the looked today. Bacot and Brooks need to be an offensive impact beyond just rebounds and stick-backs. The Heels, especially Anthony, need to look inside early in games to establish the two big men.
With the ACC being so tough at the top of the league, Bacot and Brooks will need to continue to be big for the Tar Heels.
