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UNC Basketball: 2018-19 keys for Tar Heels to beat rival Duke

By Austin Walther

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 02: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots the ball against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 02, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - FEBRUARY 02: Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels shoots the ball against the Louisville Cardinals at KFC YUM! Center on February 02, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 11: Garrison Brooks #15 and Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels battle Jay Huff #30 and De’Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers for a rebound during a game at the Dean Smith Center on February 11, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Virginia won 69-61. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – FEBRUARY 11: Garrison Brooks #15 and Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels battle Jay Huff #30 and De’Andre Hunter #12 of the Virginia Cavaliers for a rebound during a game at the Dean Smith Center on February 11, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Virginia won 69-61. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

3. North Carolina has to find Zion Williamson at all times

North Carolina is going to have its hands full with the monster known as Zion Williamson. None of the Tar Heels have ever seen a player quite like him. I’m sure some of them have seen guys six-foot-seven, 285, but no one as athletic as Williamson. He has the ability to break away and then it’s like trying to stop a freight train going off the rails or a Mack truck going down a hill.

It’s very risky to double-team the guy because two of his teammates were actually higher rated recruits than he was. R.J. Barrett is the same height as Williamson and  Cam Reddish is actually taller. But both guys can shoot the ball really well.

The best thing to do if you’re North Carolina is just put a body on him. I know there’s no one on the Tar Heels roster that can handle him one-on-one, but you can start by just bodying him. Find him on every missed shot.

UNC prides themselves with their ability to grab a lot of offensive rebounds. Luke Maye has averaged over two offensive boards per game in the last two seasons. He was up over three last season. The number has gone down a whole offensive rebound per game this year, but he’s still averaging two. Garrison Brooks though is picking up where Maye is lacking a bit. The sophomore is averaging over 2.5 per game.

Williamson puts those numbers to bed. He has over 3.5 per game this season. That’s to go along with over five defensive rebounds. The big man is the most active player on the boards on both ends of the court in the country. You have to find him whenever there’s a missed shot. Because of the length of Reddish and Barrett, it makes it difficult to completely block out the Blue Devils. But the best start is to just take Williamson away from the hoop.

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Whomever draws him on the defensive end, better not lose him. The guy is going to take off in the air and then it’s game over. Double-teams better come frequently, but make sure you close out on shooters better than you ever have. This is all so much easier said than done. I’m sure you all have seen Williamson play multiple times already. He’s so active everywhere. North Carolina just has to make sure there’s at least one body on him at all times, no matter what the situation is.

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