This was more than just a loss for No. 14 North Carolina.
The 83-59 mollywhopping they took at the hands of No. 1 Indiana on Tuesday night is a legitimate cause for alarm for the folks in Chapel Hill.
Why?
I thought you’d never ask.
Marcus Paige is not a point guard. He’s not Kendall Marshall, not even close. What made Marshall so great was his ability to create shots for the other three first round picks on the floor with him. Paige doesn’t have that kind of talent around him, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is a score-first point guard. That won’t work within Roy Williams’ system.
James Michael McAdoo is not Tyler Hansbrough. He doesn’t have a back-to-the-basket game, he can be forced into taking the shots the defense wants him to take, and at this point, he looks soft. He got pushed around by Indiana just like he got pushed around by Butler. In fact, this can be attributed to the entire UNC front line. They don’t have a low-post scorer, and while the point guards have gotten much of the credit for UNC’s success over the years, the success of Williams’ secondary break offense hinges on having a player in the pivot that demands a double-team. Sean May. Hansbrough. Tyler Zeller. When UNC relied on Ed Davis in 2009-2010, what happened?
Perhaps more alarming is the fact that there doesn’t seem to be a leader or a go-to guy on this team. This is the second time this season that UNC has been blitzed and had no response. Everyone makes runs in college basketball, but which Tar Heel do you see being the guy that says, “Enough of this garbage, give me the dang ball, we need a bucket”? I’m coming up empty.
But the biggest concern I have is with the simplest of mistakes.
Jordy Hulls should never, ever get an open look from beyond the arc. Never. He was 3-5 on Tuesday, with a couple of wide-open looks. He was also standing by himself a couple of times waiting to receive a pass as Indiana simply got an easier look at the rim.
Or what about the missed box-outs? The poor defensive rotations? The poor defensive effort, period?
Or how about this: after watching Tyler Zeller run the floor as well as anyone in the country for four seasons, how is it possible that North Carolina can so consistently get beaten down the floor for easy baskets by Cody Zeller? He did it at least four times in the first 25 minutes, and he wasn’t the only one that got easy layups in transition.
This will not be the last time that Indiana blows out a ranked team at Assembly Hall.
But this isn’t the first time that North Carolina has gotten smacked around this season.
Be very concerned, Tar Heel fans.
Rob Dauster is the editor of the college basketball website Ballin’ is a Habit. You can find him on twitter @robdauster.