The punchlines will come; UNC loves losing on 3pt shots in the final seconds, Roy is an awful coach, yada yada yada. Let those punchlines roll right off your shoulders if you support the Tar Heels. The Heels battled all night trough unfavorable obstacles and still managed to be in position to win the game. Joel Berry, Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks all struggled with fouls and were forced to sit for extended minutes. The Heels didn't flinch, they stuck to the game plan and the next man stood up when called upon. Luke Maye had a career high 11 points, Tony Bradley continued to be Mr. Consistent and contributed in impressing fashion. Had it not been for Malik Monk of Kentucky going off in one of the most incredible performances I've ever seen from a single player, let alone a freshman, shooting 18-28 from the field, 8-12 from 3pt range, Justin Jackson would've been the story. Jackson only needed 17 shot attempts to get 34 points which exceeded his career high.
Kentucky got the victory, and a congrats is to be had for them, they played well and answered the punches the Heels threw at them down the stretch. But this is about lessons learned.
The number one lesson learned is that both UNC and UK are in the top 5 teams in the country. Anybody who tries to argue those facts should be immediately tuned out. Lesson two, Monk is an incredible shooter. Everybody likes to live in the moment of course and was crowning Monk a star in the NBA mid game. A great talent he is, and he might pan out to be the player those fans think he will be. I'm not sure how a 6'3 SG fits in the NBA, but we shall see. Lesson three, the Tar Heels have so many pieces and they are still missing the most important one. Theo Pinson has been working out, practicing, and is set to return to action in the upcoming weeks. Theo is an improved scorer and is the best overall defender the Heels have. Which could've been useful to slow down the Monk show. Not only that, but having Pinson allows a favorable rotation, especially defensively. Kenny Williams is starting where Pinson will ultimately be. Pinson and Williams rotating on the opponents besy perimeter scorer is a huge luxury to have. It also allows Berry, Jackson, Britt, amd Woods to play at a fresher pace on offense. Those men can also contribute more on defense and not be focused one guy, chasing him from the moment he steps on the court. Lesson four, Roy Williams is a good coach. His loyalty and trust in his players may blow up in his face a times, but that doesn't discredit his ability to coach. If anything it proves that he is so confidence in his coaching that the game is the players time, it's their time to go and decide the game. It can be debated on whether a timeout should've been called when Monk hit the three to put the Wildcats up 101-100, but Roy saw Berry and trusted his point guard to get his team a winning play. If people want to nitpick on Roy, let me nitpick as well. Jackson missing the and-one free throw attempt was huge. Monk would've tied the game instead of put Kentucky in the lead and the Heels could've held for a final shot. On the controversial play Hicks went up with the shot through the double team when he had Berry wide open on the wing. Since we are still nitpicking, Let's talk about Kenny Williams shot that wedged in between the rim and backboard, that was almost on point. Bottom line is a lot goes into the outcome of the game and besides the loss, UNC has lessons learned to take from this game. Championships are won in December, but championship teams are.
