Coming into this season, I had high hopes for the Tar Heels. I hoped that potentially we could compete for a National Title. (But then again I always have that hope). We had a good mix of upperclassmen infused with tremendous incoming freshmen talent.
I did not believe that we were the best team, but I did believe that we could compete. In the NCAA Tournament, seeding can be overvalued. Yes, it can help, but it is not all important. What is far more important is who is in your bracket. And how well do you match up with the teams you have to go through. Occasionally there are teams that are either, so complete or so supremely talented or they simply have “That Dude”. In those instances, it does not matter who they play. However most times it comes down to who you have to play and having things go your way. That is how I felt about the 2018-2019 Tar Heels. With a good draw, good match ups and some fortuitous bounces, we could hang another banner.
Then reality set in via Texas and Michigan. I realized that we have issues, particularly on defense. Defensively we cannot keep anybody in front of us; weak side defensive help is non-existent. The number of times we got beat by backdoor cuts defies is beyond human capacity to calculate. But with that being said what most was glaring was the lack of leadership on the floor. Who is the leader of this team? Evidently no one.
Take Me to Your Leader:
Senior Leadership is phrase that was coined and brought into vogue by Dean Smith. It is ironic that UNC does not currently have any. The Tar Heel triumvirate of Cam Johnson, Kenny Williams and Luke Maye is who the team should be looking to in tough times. None of them are showing the grit and willingness to step up and hold the team accountable. It appears that Coby White, although a freshman may have to assume that role. The other change that looks like it needs to happen sooner rather than later, is inserting Nassir Little into the starting lineup. Kenny Williams is not giving the team enough to justify remaining in the opening 5; especially if he is not providing leadership.
All of the problems that the team has are fixable; but only if they are addressed. Some problems fix themselves over time. I don’t think that is the right approach in this situation. Push the freshmen to the forefront and hand the keys to White.