North Carolina basketball enters the meat of ACC play with questions swirling around Hubert Davis’s squad after a December that showcased both the program’s ceiling and its maddening inconsistencies.
The Tar Heels sit 9-4 overall heading into conference action, coming off a deflating 75-69 loss to Kentucky at the CBS Sports Classic that exposed their ongoing struggles with defensive execution and late-game poise. For a program with Final Four expectations, the performance felt like a step backward.
Bacot Rolls Back the Clock
Senior center Armando Bacot has looked like his old dominant self after missing time early in the season with an ankle injury. The 6-foot-11 veteran torched Kentucky for 18 points and 12 rebounds, his third double-double in four games since returning to full health.
“Armando’s presence in the paint changes everything for us,” Davis said following the Kentucky loss. “When he’s rolling, our whole offense flows differently.”
The difference is night and day. Carolina’s frontcourt struggled mightily without their anchor — now the Preseason All-ACC selection is averaging 16.2 points and 11.8 rebounds over his last six contests while shooting a blistering 58.7 percent from the field. He looks like the player who nearly dragged the Heels to a national championship two seasons ago.
Shooting Woes Plague Perimeter
While Bacot’s health provides reason for optimism, UNC’s perimeter production remains maddeningly inconsistent. Graduate guard RJ Davis leads the team at 18.1 points per game but has shot a woeful 31.2 percent from three-point range through 13 games — alarming for Carolina’s primary shot creator.
The numbers are ugly across the board. The Tar Heels rank 11th in the ACC in three-point percentage at 31.8 percent, a concerning figure for a team that attempted the fourth-most threes in conference play last season. Sophomore guard Seth Trimble has shown flashes of brilliance but remains turnover-prone, coughing up the ball 3.2 times per contest when Carolina needs steady hands.
“We’re getting good looks,” Davis insisted. “The shots will start falling. Our guys are working too hard in practice for them not to.”
That confidence may be misplaced — good looks mean nothing if shooters lack confidence.
Defense Provides No Answers
UNC’s most glaring weakness has been defensive consistency, and it’s costing them winnable games. The Tar Heels allowed Kentucky to shoot 47.3 percent from the field and failed to force a single turnover in the final 8:42 of regulation — the kind of late-game collapse that haunts championship dreams.
They rank seventh in the ACC in defensive efficiency, according to KenPom metrics. For Davis, whose teams have always prided themselves on effort and execution, it’s a troubling trend.
The issues stem largely from communication breakdowns and pathetic transition defense. Carolina has allowed opponents to score 20-plus fast-break points in three of their four losses this season — unacceptable for a program built on Dean Smith principles.
Junior forward Harrison Ingram, the Stanford transfer, has struggled to find his defensive identity in Davis’s system. The 6-foot-7 forward often appears a step slow on rotations and has committed a staggering 47 fouls in 13 games. That’s not veteran leadership — that’s a liability.
Brutal January Stretch Looms
The Heels open ACC play Saturday against Pittsburgh at the Smith Center before embarking on a January gauntlet that includes road games at Clemson, Virginia, and Duke. Last season’s 11-9 conference record and seventh-place finish feels like a best-case scenario if these issues persist.
“January will tell us everything we need to know about this team,” ESPN analyst Jay Bilas said. “They have the talent to compete with anyone in the ACC, but they need to put together complete games.”
The schedule provides zero margin for error. Six of Carolina’s first eight ACC games come against teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last season, including a Feb. 3 showdown with rival Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium — where moral victories don’t exist.
Freshmen Offer Hope
Despite the inconsistencies, there are glimmers of hope in Chapel Hill. Freshman forward Jalen Washington has exceeded expectations, averaging 8.4 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting an efficient 52.1 percent from the field.
The 6-foot-10 Washington provides the versatility Davis craved when he signed the four-star recruit from Gary, Indiana. His ability to stretch the floor and defend multiple positions has earned him meaningful minutes in competitive games — trust that’s rare for freshmen under Davis.
Fellow freshman guard Simeon Wilcher has also shown flashes, particularly in Carolina’s impressive 90-76 victory over UCLA in early December. The New York native erupted for 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting in that contest, displaying the shot-making ability that made him a top-100 recruit.
The question remains whether Davis can harness this talent into a cohesive unit. Saturday’s 4 p.m. tip against Pittsburgh offers the first answer — with a brutal January road swing waiting just around the corner.
