UNC Wrapup

Note: this will be my last article as a writer for FTRS. I did something stupid, and consequently must tender my resignation in an attempt to fix it. I will not be taking questions.

The game started off well enough. The Jackets ran the floor effectively and efficiently, shooting 44%. Robert Carter Jr. went 3-5 and seemed to be unstoppable underneath the basket. The ball movement was swift and on point, leading to seven assists. The only bad thing about the first half was the free throw shooting, as the Jackets went 0-6 from the charity stripe. On the defensive side, the Jackets locked up the Heels three ball with great help defense and clogged up the lanes, though UNC still shot 38%. But, as has happened often this season, Georgia Tech floundered in the second half. Shots were off balance, turnovers abounded, and North Carolina's fast break offense got going in a fast way.

Lots of the shots that didn't fall in the second half for GT were bad luck, but many of the turnovers were simply about poor decision making. There were multiple incidences under the basket when guys tried to pass the ball to a player that wasn't there. North Carolina played more aggressively on D in the second half, so GT doesn't deserve all of the blame. The Tar Heels got their hands in and up on passes to control the movement game that had worked so well for Tech in the first half. This aggressiveness got in the Tech player's heads and caused some of the turnovers. Once the turnover game got going, UNC took the pace back to where they like it (fast) and took an 18 point lead with 7 minutes to go. The Jackets never recovered (how could you, with 7 minutes left?) and dropped their ninth ACC game this season.