North Carolina knew that the Tennessee win would turn into a negative if they lost to Florida State.
The Tar Heels almost gave back a 20+ lead against Tennessee.
After getting off to a good start, North Carolina found themselves down 14 points in the second half before going on an amazing 22-point run in their 78-70 win over the Seminoles.
Takeaways:
Cadeau’s Growth: If you look at Eliot Cadeau’s stat line, you might not think much but the numbers doesn’t tell the story. Cadeanu scored five of his seven points in the second half but it was his ability to create off the dribble against the Seminole’s defense, that shined the most. Before the season started, the questions that was asked about Cadeau was whether he could run an offense as a primary ball-handler and could he defend against high-level competition? He’s ahead of the curve with being able to run the Tar Heels’ offense (10 assists vs. Tennessee) but he could still improve on the defensive end of the floor. But, he also showed that he has enough shiftiness to get two feet in the paint against a pretty quick and athletic defense. Cadeau is second amongst guards on the team % shots at rim category at 35.6%. Only Seth Trimble has a higher percentage amongst the guards. Most importantly, Cadeau showed he can get two feet in the paint and be a good decision-maker.
Don’t Forget Trimble: It’s easy to forget about sophomore, Seth Trimble because he had what many considered an underwhelming freshman year. But, right now, Trimble is providing what Hubert Davis needs the most, a bench guy who can produce in small minutes. Even though Davis seems a little more committed to the bench this season, you can still see a lack of trust with giving bench players extended consecutive minutes. Trimble has shown he can do that. In the win against the Seminoles, Trimble made the most of his 14 minutes. He scored 9 points on 3-3 shooting from the field along with 3-4 from the free throw line. In the last three games, Trimble is averaging slightly over eight points in 18 minutes. He’s also showing a level of explosiveness that has served him well. Trimble has finished 64.7% of his shots at the rim.
Can’t Admire Work: Hubert Davis is starting to put a silencer on his critics. After the loss Villanova, there were whispers of “here we go again”. All the memories from last season were flooding the minds of Tar Heels’ fans. But, unlike last season, North Carolina has responded to a loss to a team that they should’ve beaten. Davis had the guys ready for Arkansas like a good coach should. North Carolina followed that with back-to-back wins against Tennessee and Florida State in different fashions. The Tar Heels had a huge lead slip away against the Volunteers but had the composure to close the door. And, against Florida State, they responded to adversity with a 22 point run. All of that will go away if they lay an egg in the next two games against Connecticut and Kentucky. Davis is trusting the bench a little more and he’s getting better contributions from the transfers than he did last season.
