North Carolina Basketball: 3 keys for Heels to pull off upset over Virginia

Push the tempo!

The North Carolina Tarheels are at their best when they are pushing the ball up the floor and getting points in the paint. Currently, they have the highest points per game average in the ACC at 81.4 points per game. While they are putting up great offensive numbers, they are not using the “outside-in” strategy that a lot of teams have begun to implement. Instead, they prefer to look inside first and let their interior dominance open up opportunities for their shooters.

This is evidenced by the fact that the team is eighth in the nation and first in the ACC in free throw attempts per game at 25.4. The fact that they are getting to the free throw line with such regularity means that the opposing team’s frontline is often in foul trouble, which then opens up even more opportunities for North Carolina’s big men to dominate. Armando Bacot, Pete Nance and Leaky Black are all excellent finishers around the basket. It is difficult for most teams to compete on the inside with such a talented frontline.

Bacot, the 6’11” senior, is the team’s number-one scoring option. So far this season, he is averaging 18.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game. However, Bacot is not the type of player who creates shots for himself. If he is to succeed, he must rely on guards Caleb Love and RJ Davis to push the tempo.

As long as they apply pressure to opposing defenses, there will be opportunities for Bacot to make himself available and utilize his great hands to catch the basketball and finish plays. This up-tempo style of play is a decided advantage for North Carolina against a Virginia team that averages 70 points per game. The Tarheels have been running up the score against their opponents all season long; they’ll have to continue doing so to beat the Cavaliers on Tuesday night.