TRENDING NEWS: UNC vs. Wake Forest: Three Takeaways

Carolina was 2-2 against Wake going into Monday night, or since Steve Forbes took control. Either Wake had won the games handily or they had been close victories. It was anticipated that the Tar Heels would face another difficult opponent after their arduous trek up to Chestnut Hill—a team that had just dropped 90 points on a Louisville team that the Tar Heels were unable to contain.

It seemed like more of the same throughout the first half. But the second half made it clear to Wake Forest, Tar Heel supporters, and the general public that this team is different.

What did we learn from UNC’s Monday night 85-64 victory over Wake Forest?

Carolina has a strong defense.

It’s no accident that you can limit a squad like Wake Forest to 64 points overall. There had been some worry that a hot shooting team like Wake would chew up the Tar Heels’ defense, which had been devouring on lower-tier teams. After Louisville hung with the Tar Heels and Wake was able to simply eat them alive, there was further cause for concern.

They provided a prompt response to the query. Wake appeared to be fighting for whatever basket they could get, but Carolina was getting the shots they needed and they would not go down. They made some tough shots, overcame an eight-point deficit, and eventually seized the lead with a halftime shooting percentage of 44.8%. Not bad, but they only shot 27.3% from three even when the shots were falling. This club shot 38% from three overall, but they hit 51% versus Louisville on Saturday.

The Tar Heels’ defensive effort is astounding, and it has helped them even when their shots aren’t falling. The largest distinction from prior teams may be this one: losses to these same Deacons serve as evidence that an offensive failure does not translate to a defensive one.

ACC Player of the Year is RJ Davis’ to lose

RJ Davis was a major factor in Carolina’s ability to keep up with Wake in the first half. Davis used the same route that Elliot Cadeau utilized to drive to the hoop and capitalize on Wake’s defense on Armando Bacot, despite going 0-3 from beyond the arc, including his clanging his first two. With 6–8 shooting from beyond the arc in the first half, Davis finished with 13 points.

Nevertheless, the Tar Heels led 1-0 at the start of the second half, and that’s when RJ Davis took control. He shot 4-5 from beyond the arc and 8–12 overall in the half, finishing with 23 points to tie his career high of 36. He demonstrated the flexibility to change with the flow of the game, looking for simple baskets and getting into a rhythm that made shooting seem effortless. The Deacons’ hopes were quickly dashed by his transition three, which prompted a Wake timeout and quickly turned a competitive game into a farce.

This was the season’s first ESPN ACC Monday night game. As the NFL is coming to an end, attention will shift to collegiate basketball. Voters for Player of the Year remember performances like Monday, where a player took command of the game, scored goals whenever he wanted, and drove his side to victory. Even though there are still twelve ACC games to go, it’s obvious who is in the clubhouse as the leader.

Armando Bacot leads without scoring

Tar Heel great Tyler Hansbrough and Jones Angell provided color commentary for last night’s game on the Tar Heel Sports Network. His viewpoint will be from below, seeing what Armando Bacot was doing to assist his side win. He gave a great analysis of how Bacot was taking advantage of Wake’s attention to create seals and open pathways for RJ Davis and Elliot Cadeau throughout the game

Even though Bacot only had five points for the game, the Tar Heels can’t win without him on the court, as demonstrated when Jalen Washington replaced him and the defense significantly faltered. Even so, he finished with four blocks, seven rebounds, and a defensive assignment that limited Efton Reid to just two to seven points a game.

It will be fascinating to see if teams decide they must require Bacot to have a 20/20 game once more and stop allowing RJ play one-on-one. When it matters most, can he grab the bull by the horns and win the game on Davis’s inevitable off night?