UNC Basketball: Keys for Tar Heels in ACC battle against Florida State

2. Neutralize FSU’s size advantage in the paint 

If one were to casually browse Ken Pomeroy’s statistical pages for both UNC and FSU, one would likely come to a sensible conclusion: Size-wise, these two teams are pretty even. If we are to go by technicality, sure. UNC’s average player stands at 78.5 inches, good for 18th-tallest in the country; FSU’s average player stands at 78.6 inches, good for 13th-tallest. The height difference, it seems, is a matter of splitting hairs—literally.

But these measurements, albeit factually correct, are rather deceiving without the necessary context.

UNC’s tallest player, 6-foot-11 Sterling Manley, is the only rotation big standing taller than 6-foot-9 and is currently dealing with a lower body injury that could leave him on the bench for yet another game. This, thusly, leaves the Heels with a hodgepodge of 6-foot-9-and-under forwards (unless coach Roy Williams decides to give Brandon Huffman some minutes, which is highly questionable). On the other side, FSU boasts two skyscrapers masquerading as basketball players in 6-foot-10 Mfiondu Kabengele and 7-foot-4 Christ Koumadje.

It is certainly fair to argue that this is the biggest frountcourt challenge UNC has faced all year, at least in terms of raw size. The Heels have struggled previously against teams with above-average/elite size and length in the interior, and therefore must find ways to neutralize whatever advantage the Seminoles may have by trying to play both Kabengele and Koumadje off the floor.

Putting the Seminole duo through incessant pick-and-roll actions and back-screens, while also having a number of Tar Heel forwards (Maye, Johnson, Nassir Little) popping out beyond the arc, could disrupt whatever FSU is trying to accomplish on the defensive end by pulling their bigs away from the rim and forcing them to guard in space.

If possible, attacking these guys directly for the sake of drawing fouls and getting them into foul trouble is a viable path to neutralizing FSU’s size advantage as well. Koumadje (4.8 fouls per 40 minutes) and Kabengele (5.1 fouls per 40 minutes) are both prone to fouling, and, considering that the Seminoles have yet to face an offense as potent as Carolina’s, it’s not out of the question that the duo finds themselves in foul trouble throughout the game.

Sure, Maye and Brooks can hold their own in the paint against opponents of any size and length—but playing guys off the floor doesn’t sound like a bad idea, not in the slightest.