North Carolina Basketball: Takeaways from Tar Heels thrashing of Michigan
By Ian Mumm
The Hubert Davis era is off to a strong start for North Carolina. Wednesday’s meeting against #24 Michigan was another prime opportunity for the program to make a statement on the national landscape following Carolina’s loss to #6 Purdue. However, on this occasion, the Tar Heels were able to turn the tables on another Big Ten foe with a convincing 72-51 win at home.
From the opening tipoff, Carolina was able to control the game in every facet and disrupt Michigan’s gameplan and strengths. Coach Davis group managed to put together their most complete game of the season and are looking to make a push towards more consistent results ahead of conference play. Shooting at a 46.3% clip from the floor and 42.1% from the perimeter, North Carolina abruptly pulled away in the 2nd half outscoring Michigan by 19.
A big development in the game was the foul difficulties for Michigan star Hunter Dickinson, who received his 3rd and 4th fouls only minutes into the 2nd half. Dickinson’s over-aggressive play forced the Wolverines into a much more inexperienced and hesitant lineup on both ends of the floor. The absence of Dickinson however did not detract from how well the Tar Heels were able to handle business throughout the contest.
With a big win under their belts, maybe things are turning around for the program. I look at several areas of focus following this result.