North Carolina basketball boosted its national championship hopes in landing five-star Caleb Wilson. The College Basketball Recruiting move sparked visions of an Atlantic Coast Conference title too. Except now the Tar Heels' season is in trouble amid Wilson's stunning hand injury.
Does Wilson's setback rise as the fatal flaw that could cost UNC the ACC title?
Credit to Hubert Davis, as he's built a team capable of offsetting the Wilson injury. The Heels are 20-5 overall and ranked No. 16 despite Wilson being out.
But still, UNC has its work cut out for itself heading into the conference tournament in March. Time to dive into the flaw that could cost UNC outside of the prized freshman's health.
This defensive flaw could doom North Carolina
UNC struggles with defending the three-pointer.
The Tar Heels currently sit at No. 14 among 18 ACC teams in three-point defense. Only Florida State, North Carolina State, Miami, and Pittsburgh have fielded a worse unit behind the arc.
Teams that make the three at a high rate have the potential to end UNC's March Madness run early. Yet NC State, SMU, Cal, Georgia Tech and Notre Dame could apply pressure on UNC come ACC tournament time. All five schools are the five best at three-point shooting percentage.
Perimeter containment rises as a big reason behind this UNC weakness. Opposing teams have successfully penetrated the paint, only to execute wide open kick-out threes. Davis' defenders often look out-of-place and overcrowded in the paint, then realizing they left a shooter open.
North Carolina will need to hope it faces a team struggling to shoot from long range. That even includes the team that upset them recently Miami, as the Hurricanes still present three-point flaws.
Can North Carolina make a run without Wilson?
Wilson displayed an elite motor with the basketball in his hands. His speed and court vision started to open up the UNC offense. But his defensive disruption rose as another strength in turning turnovers into points.
Although he was another who struggled from three-land — more so on the shooter side.
He's not the only major injury here either. Top big Henri Veesaar is questionable versus NC State on Tuesday. Yet the Estonian talent likely won't miss significant time compared to Wilson. The center will be greatly needed for down the road as he can pound the paint with his 7-foot, 225-pound frame.
North Carolina needs Seth Trimble to step up for what it's worth. The senior has flashed some big scoring moments — notably dropping 19 points against Pitt on Valentine's Day. But he also got bottled to four points against Miami. Stanford and Cal even limited him to 13 and 12 points, respectively, in upsets over UNC.
North Carolina looks like an NCAA Tournament qualifier. But its health and three-point defense could get the Heels falling short of the ACC title.
