The North Carolina Tar Heels outclassed the Oklahoma Sooners on Thursday. The Sooners had an unbeaten 10-match winning streak before squaring off against their opponents. This really put the Tar Heels in contention for the top team in the ACC. Other than the UNC, the other teams vying for the same spot are the Clemson Tigers and the Duke Blue Devils.

Do you know going by the current record the Tar Heels are quite close to the Duke Blue Devils and the Clemson Tigers?

How have the Tar Heels’ performed?

The North Carolina Tar Heels have an 8-3 tally and occupy the first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference. They recently defeated the Oklahoma Sooners by a respectable 81-69 margin at the Spectrum Center. The Sooners had an undefeated 10-0 tally before going into the game and when the Tar Heels outclassed their opponents and the critics had divided reactions.

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Some felt that the North Carolina’s real test would be when they go against the Big 12. That would provide a lot of clarity on the North Carolina’s performance considering they have lost against the Villanova Wildcats in overtime by an 83-81 margin. They were then decimated by strong teams namely – the University of Connecticut Huskies and the Kentucky Wildcats. While they were beaten by an 87-76 margin by the Huskies, the Wildcats upended them by an 87-83 tally.

Their forward Armando Bacot  has created magic with his rim runs which allows him to get a deep ceiling position in the post. Additionally, it also frees Bacot from being guarded by multiple defenders. Although his trick of post-up with a foot outside the lane makes the defense collapse on him. Nonetheless, the senior baller averages an honorable 15.1 points per game with 11 rebounds per match. He has a spectacular 77.6% free throw percentage along with a 50% three-pointer percentage. 

This game displayed the Tar Heels’ players will to fight and going by their record this was somewhat of a must-win game. And the Hubert Davis-team nailed it. They showed positive intent from their side and stood tall on expectations. Their guard RJ Davis is at his best at the moment. He has slammed a team-high average of 21.7 points per game and is playing the alpha in the team.

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Another player to applaud is their forward Harrison Ingram who has besotted 14.3 points per contest. The 6 feet 7 inch baller allows the Tar Heels to go small and put up a fight. Their guard Cormac Ryan is also a wonderful addition to the team since he adds up to the spirit of the team. But not all is great with Bacot. He has his own set of limitations.

Is Bacot the best?

The problems with Bacot just like most of the big men in college basketball is that he doesn’t know how to seal the defender and get a good post position. His movement without the ball isn’t one of the best. And Bacot for his performances has been the target of the opponents, and hence the rivals do know his favorite moves. Thus, Armando needs to vary his moves from time to time and do not allow the defense to collapse on him.

Last time though he came out with some incredible moves such as the backdown crab move, little shimmy and then to the right hook. He is always guarded by multiple opponents and hence his rim running is something very useful. This year Davis has changed his playing tactics. The team fortunately doesn’t suffer like last year when they found it difficult to give the ball to Armando and execute their plans. 

This has caused a lot of commotion and most of the critics would decline the Tar Heels the top spot. The others would definitely recommend some changes to their current playing style.

Is Tar Heels the best team in ACC?

There are two things that can hold back the North Carolina. Firstly, they have to groom a player to step up on Davis’s bad days. Secondly, they will also have to form a formidable defense. If these two things are taken care of then there is no one stopping the North Carolina in the ACC.

Another key factor in the UNC’s development can be improvement of their guard Elliot Cadeau. If Cadeau is able to learn from his mistakes and get better as the season progresses then their would be no stopping the Tar Heels.

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Last year the North Carolina suffered since they couldn’t find open spaces to pass the ball and Cadeau does seem to fill that vacant role. He is really good at creating spaces for his team. Their forward Jalen Washington can also become a central player at times providing Bacot with a breather and amping up his game during his absence. A little more contribution from the bench will make them the best ACC team and match neck to neck against top contenders like the Clemson Tigers.