Ohio State Basketball: 2019-20 takeaways from Buckeyes blowout win over UNC
By Brian Rauf
3) UNC needs reliable secondary scoring options
This is a complaint I’ve had about North Carolina all season, and the point was exasperated by Bacot’s absence and Ohio State’s defense – the Tar Heels don’t have any offensive weapons outside of Cole Anthony.
With opposing defenses looking to take Anthony out of the game or make him as ineffective as possible, UNC needs some other players to step up. Bacot was that guy against Oregon but, once he went down with his injury, their offense went into a shell and put up some historically bad numbers.
Some alarming UNC stats from the loss:
— Brian Rauf (@brauf33) December 5, 2019
- 27.4 percent shooting is the worst they've ever shot in the Dean Dome.
- The 25-point loss is the 2nd largest margin of defeat for the Heels in the building
- The 49 points UNC scored is the 3rd lowest they've scored at the Dean Dome
Garrison Brooks has been North Carolina’s most consistent secondary option (albeit without the highs Bacot has shown against Oregon and Elon) but his impact was largely minimized by Wesson in the post as he finished with a less-than-impactful eight points and seven rebounds.
Brandon Robinson showed flashes of quality offensive play, but he was largely unable to string together even two quality possessions in a row.
After the game, Williams said he’s at a loss for answers with this group.
"“I’ve never felt so sorry, whether it’s being in the post, on the perimeter, or whatever. We just have no answers. We call a play and we can’t even remember it.”"
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Anthony is good enough to carry North Carolina to a number of wins on his own, and the rest of the team is solid enough to keep them in the upper third of the ACC. But, if their offense continues to struggle at this rate, the Heels would be looking at an early exit from the NCAA Tournament.