UNC Basketball: 5 reasons why Tar Heels have fallen apart this season

4. Haven’t utilized the bench enough

Last year, UNC Basketball ranked among the highest in terms of minutes among the starters. That remains the case, with all five guys averaging at least 30 mpg, including Love and Davis at around 35 mpg. That leaves little time for the bench, where there are six players that are former top-100 prospects and have shown flashes of being good if they were available more.

Of the “bench” Puff Johnson and D’Marco Dunn are the guys that get double-digit minutes, with guard/forward Seth Trimble as well. These aren’t elite shooters but they’re capable on offense and are arguably better defenders.

There’s also Jalen Washington, a former top-50 recruit who plays next to nothing when both Bacot and Nance are healthy. But in the one game he got extended minutes, the freshman forward had 13 points against Virginia. He can’t play next to Bacot and the senior big certainly shouldn’t lose minutes but it’s a shame that an asset like Washington can’t get on the court.

There’s also Leaky Black, who is a great defender and ACC DPOY candidate but is purposely left alone on offense and dared to shoot. Outside the 13 points against Duke, he hasn’t made teams pay. If the offense is struggling, they should play Trimble or Dunn more to expand the offense, even if it hurts them a bit defensively. The other option is simply to bench either Love or Davis more when it’s clear it’s not their nights.