Ian Jackson steps up, UNC basketball takes step back in loss to Alabama in ACC/SEC Challenge

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UNC basketball changed its starting lineup, but it didn’t change the Tar Heels’ fate against Alabama on Wednesday in the ACC/SEC Challenge.

Hubert Davis’ club faced another double-digit deficit in the first half, struggled with turnovers and saw the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide rain 3-pointers in a 94-79 win against No. 20 UNC at the Dean E. Smith Center.

For the second time in three seasons, the Tar Heels (4-4) have four losses before Christmas and will ride a three-game losing streak into their ACC opener against Georgia Tech (4-4) on Saturday (2 p.m., ACC Network) in Chapel Hill.

Will UNC be able to fix its problems?

UNC is 0-4 against high-major opponents this season. Here’s what went down in UNC’s loss to Alabama (7-2), which was the Tar Heels’ worst loss since an 87-67 defeat to Duke in 2022.

Drake Powell enters starting lineup, but UNC basketball’s first-half struggles continue vs Alabama

The Tar Heels have trailed by double digits in each of their four games against high-major opponents, including a 13-point deficit against Alabama as the Tide rolled out to a 31-18 lead.

Freshman wing Drake Powell replaced Jae’Lyn Withers in the starting lineup, but UNC had seven of its nine turnovers in the first 10 minutes and trailed 43-34 at halftime. The Tar Heels came into Wednesday’s game averaging 9.6 turnovers before finishing with 13 against Alabama.

RJ Davis shooting struggles, UNC’s overall 3-point shooting

UNC missed 14 of its 16 attempts from 3-point range, and fifth-year guard RJ Davis continued to struggle with his outside shot. Davis, who missed 14 of his 20 shots against Alabama in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, had a 7-for-24 shooting night in the rematch vs. the Tide. The reigning ACC Player of the Year entered Wednesday’s game making 27.5% of his treys.

Elliot Cadeau turnovers are becoming a problem

Sophomore point guard Elliot Cadeau, who struggled with turnovers and foul trouble in three games at the Maui Invitational, carried those problems back to Chapel…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ian-jackson-steps-unc-basketball-022420289.html

Author : The Fayetteville Observer

Publish date : 2024-12-05 02:24:00

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