Three Things Learned from UNC’s win against ETSU

I warned readers before the game that this East Tennessee State team was not an opponent to be taken lightly, and for the first 18 minutes of action, they proved me right, forcing the Heels to play a down-tempo, back-and-forth game that featured 6 ties and 4 lead changes. Eventually, though, UNC imposed their will, sandwiching halftime within a 12-0 run and never looking back for the rest of the game. It was an interesting Tuesday night to close UNC’s last nonconference home stretch before the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday, with more to glean from it than you might expect.

UNC’s Defense is Legit

The normal defensive numbers were pretty good, but you expect them to be against a mid-major that doesn’t shoot a ton of threes and hasn’t dealt with the kind of size and length UNC has in the post. The Buccaneers shot 38.5% from the floor and 30.4% from three-point range, which are great numbers for the Heels, but I’m more interested in the way that UNC has started to make a habit of just shutting down their opposition for minutes at a time. They held Kentucky without a made field goal for a full quarter of the game, and that was what ultimately made them able to pull off a win in a game they trailed for a lot longer than they didn’t. Since then, each UNC opponent has been forced into a second-half scoring drought lasting at least 4 minutes: a 5-minute scoreless period for Georgetown that allowed UNC to grow a lead from 8 to 15, and a 4-minute close to the Upstate game where the Heels took an 8-point game to an 18-point one before a late layup (there was also a 3-minute drought earlier in the half). This time, UNC held the Bucs without a point for 5 minutes, starting with about 12 minutes left in the half, while they extended their lead from a competitive 12 to a blowout 24 that basically ended the game with a fifth of it left to play.

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UNC currently ranks 24th in Kenpom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, which is pretty good, but for me, these stretches are…

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Publish date : 2025-12-17 14:00:00

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