A Duke Fan Theorizes On What’s Wrong With North Carolina

You can’t explain away all the failings of this team simply because they’re young. Will Graves is a junior and somehow hasn’t really learned to play defense. Deon Thompson is a senior who finished with 10 points and four rebounds in the most critical game of the year, really, for UNC. Marcus Ginyard grabbed eight boards and played effectively on defense, yet shot 3-10.

Ed Davis is a sophomore, but he was also the most talented big man on the court Wednesday. So how come he finished with just four points and five boards? Yes, he blocked six shots, and yes they were a big deal, but he had a chance to score with 1:17 left, having caught Drew’s missed three, but just bobbled the ball out of bounds. That sort of thing was as typical of his game as were the blocks.

This is a young team, true, but it’s also a team lacking in confidence and senior leadership. If you want to point a finger somewhere, point it at Ginyard and Thompson, both seniors, but with no apparent ability to step up and lead their younger teammates.

This is a good synopsis, but later in the article, DBR writes that there’s no “silver bullet” for UNC getting back to the top in the future. This is true, but it’s also true of any team in college basketball. North Carolina is better prepared to rebound than most, because they have a great recruiting class coming in. There’s a good chance this is just one down year for UNC before they rise back to national prominence.