UNC Basketball: 2019-20 keys to home victory against Notre Dame

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 15: D.J. Harvey #5 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish battles Seventh Woods #0 of the North Carolina Tar Heels for a loose ball during the first half of a game at the Dean Smith Center on January 15, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MARCH 29: Chuma Okeke #5 of the Auburn Tigers handles the ball against Garrison Brooks #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at Sprint Center on March 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

1. Defend With Poise

Against Winston-Salem State in the last tune-up of the preseason, North Carolina won 96-61, a 35-point margin of victory in a game that was never close — but that didn’t mean the win was pretty. UNC won, simply, because they’re the better, more talented team. Obviously. They were bigger, stronger, faster, and more talented, and a victory was never in doubt and never was going to be in doubt.

But the defense? The defense was still downright disappointing for a top-10 preseason team that’s supposed to be competing for ACC and NCAA supremacy.

UNC simply cannot continue to play undisciplined defense against Notre Dame. Against WSSU, the Tar Heels repeatedly crashed in on drivers (and made penetrating the frontline far too easy), thus giving up 30 three-point attempts for the Rams, many of which were wide open. Considering that Villanova hoisted 51 in their secret scrimmage against UNC last Sunday, it’s not a wild guess to imagine that many of those looks were generated the same way.

Notre Dame is a team full of upperclassman talent, such as TJ Gibbs (13.4 points, 3.4 assists last year) and John Mooney (14.1 points, 11.2 rebounds last year), that will surely capitalize on unpoised defense, and Mike Brey is too good of a coach not to scheme for his guys to find success. UNC may have the talent advantage, but that doesn’t mean anything if they don’t play smart on the defensive end.

The Fighting Irish were only 304th in the nation in three-point percentage last year, but if they’re left wide open, shots are bound to go in. That can’t happen Wednesday.

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