UNC 76-Alabama 67
Carolina dominated Alabama inside and on the glass, but once again had trouble closing out an outmatched opponent. Garrison Brooks and Armando Bacot owned the paint, leading the Tar Heels to a 60-31 edge in the rebounding department. Brooks finished with 20 points and 7 rebounds while Bacot chipped in with 12 points and 15 boards, but still Alabama was able to stay within striking distance the entire way.
UNC’s poor defensive game kept this one close. Although they played with great effort, this team just isn’t playing very smart defensively. There’s way too much overhelping when the other team starts to drive, leading to wide open three-point opportunities for the opponent.
John Petty was obviously the best shooter on the team coming in, and somehow Carolina allowed him to knock down seven threes, most of them uncontested. Time and time again UNC defenders left him to help stop drives, something that was completely unnecessary with Brooks and Bacot defending the rim.
This has been a common problem with many Carolina teams over the years, and they’ve got to be smarter knowing who to help off of and who to stay glued to. KYP, know your personnel.
Kira Lewis and Cole Anthony’s point guard battle lived up to the hype, and in the end I think it was a draw. Both showed why they’re future NBA players, and although they had poor shooting games, they mostly continued to do what they usually do.
Carolina was helped by the return of Brandon Robinson, a player they desperately need. His size, shooting, and defense was badly missed over the last few games, and the Tar Heels will likely need even more from him in the next one against Michigan.
Leaky Black had one of his best games as well. He was fantastic defensively, wreaking havoc in the passing lanes and doing a great job on the boards. He does all the little things for this team, and when he’s attacking offensively like he did in this one he makes UNC a lot better.
His size, speed, length, vision, and ball handling make him a terror in transition when he’s being aggressive, and he’s shown the ability to finish at the rim and knock down jump-shots. He’s been a little hesitant and seemingly lacking some confidence early this season, but against Alabama he looked a lot more like the player I’ve expected to see.
Carolina didn’t get much else from its bench. Andrew Platek made a few nice interior passes, but with all the injuries the Tar Heels just don’t have much depth. An easy schedule has allowed UNC to survive despite this, but the next game against Michigan could be the one where it catches up with them.
Game 6: Michigan
Michigan comes in unranked, but from my view they’re a clear top-10 team. They’ve got a senior leader in point guard Xavier Simpson, a go-to-scorer in junior Isaiah Livers, a versatile big man in senior Jon Teske, and a plethora of good shooters and defenders on the perimeter. They can be vulnerable inside when Teske gets in foul trouble, but this is a complete team without a true weakness.
Xavier Simpson runs the show and sets the tone for this team. He’s quick and extremely strong, and he gets in the paint at will. He’s a very good finisher around the rim, and he has tremendous vision to find open teammates. He also rebounds extremely well for a guy his size and seems to come up with the ones that really matter.
Isaiah Livers has great size and strength and is able to create his own shot. He’s able to play both inside and out, and he’s looking like a potential first-round NBA draft pick.
At 7’1” 265 pounds, Jon Teske is a massive presence on the floor. He’s a good rebounder and rim defender with the ability to score in the post and on the perimeter, and the team definitely isn’t as good when he’s not on the court. Getting him in foul trouble would give the Tar Heels a much better chance to win this game.
Eli Brooks and David DeJulius provide shooting, ball handling, and defensive help in the backcourt, while Franz Wagner and Adrien Nunez add more sharp-shooting on the perimeter.
Colin Castleton and Brandon Johns Jr. have chipped in to give Michigan some depth down low, and first-year coach Juwan Howard has this team playing at a high level on both ends of the floor and improving each time they step on the court.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think Michigan gives Carolina its first loss and moves on to the finals to face the winner of Gonzaga and Oregon. UNC has to once again dominate inside and on the boards and do a much better job defending the three-point line if it hopes to beat the Wolverines, but considering the trouble they’ve had with much inferior teams, I just don’t think the Heels get it done.
Updated Rankings
| 2020 Team Rankings | Games Seen | Last | |
| 1 | Louisville | 1 | 11/5/2019 |
| 2 | Arizona | ||
| 3 | Michigan | 2 | 11/27/2019 |
| 4 | Kansas | 3 | 11/27/2019 |
| 5 | Dayton | 4 | 11/27/2019 |
| 6 | Gonzaga | 1 | 11/15/2019 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 2 | 11/16/2019 |
| 8 | Texas Tech | 1.5 | 11/21/2019 |
| 9 | Duke | 4 | 11/26/2019 |
| 10 | Ohio St. | 2 | 11/13/2019 |
| 11 | Oregon | 1 | 11/12/2019 |
| 12 | Washington | 2 | 11/16/2019 |
| 13 | Auburn | 2 | 11/8/2019 |
| 14 | Baylor | 1 | 11/8/2019 |
| 15 | UNC | 4 | 11/27/2019 |
| 16 | Iowa St. | 1 | 11/27/2019 |
| 17 | Cincinnati | 1 | 11/6/2019 |
| 18 | Villanova | 1.5 | 11/13/2019 |
| 19 | Virginia | 1 | 11/6/2019 |
| 20 | VCU | 1.5 | 11/13/2019 |
| 21 | LSU | 2 | 11/22/2019 |
| 22 | Georgetown | 2 | 11/21/2019 |
| 23 | Indiana | 0.5 | |
| 24 | Butler | 1 | 11/12/2019 |
| 25 | Stanford | ||
| 26 | Clemson | 2 | 11/24/2019 |
| 27 | TCU | 2 | 11/24/2019 |
| 28 | Virginia Tech | 3 | 11/26/2019 |
| 29 | Maryland | 1 | 11/9/2019 |
| 30 | Arkansas | 0.5 | |
2019-2020 NBA Draft Rankings
|
||||||
| Rank | Player | Position | Team | Height | Weight | Year |
| 1 | James Wiseman | PF/C | Memphis | 7'1" | 240 | Freshman |
| 2 | Obi Toppin | PF | Dayton | 6'9" | 220 | Sophomore |
| 3 | Jaden McDaniels | SG/SF | Washington | 6'9" | 200 | Freshman |
| 4 | Harlond Beverly | PG | Miami | 6'4" | 185 | Freshman |
| 5 | Zeke Nnaji | PF | Arizona | 6'11" | 240 | Freshman |
| 6 | Isaiah Stewart | PF | Washington | 6'9" | 250 | Freshman |
| 7 | Filip Petrusev | SF/PF/C | Gonzaga | 6'11" | 235 | Sophomore |
| 8 | Cole Anthony | PG | UNC | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman |
| 9 | Tyrese Haliburton | PG | Iowa St. | 6'5" | 175 | Sophomore |
| 10 | Anthony Edwards | SG | Georgia | 6'5" | 225 | Freshman |
| 11 | Tyrese Maxey | SG/PG | Kentucky | 6'3" | 198 | Freshman |
| 12 | Jordan Nwora | SF | Louisville | 6'7" | 225 | Junior |
| 13 | Jahmi'us Ramsey | SG | Texas Tech | 6'4" | 195 | Freshman |
| 14 | Vernon Carey Jr. | PF/C | Duke | 6'11" | 260 | Freshman |
| 15 | Brandon Rachal | SG/SF | Tulsa | 6'6" | 220 | Junior |
| 16 | Yves Pons | SF | Tennessee | 6'6" | 215 | Junior |
| 17 | Samuell Williamson | SG | Louisville | 6'7" | 200 | Freshman |
| 18 | Precious Achiuwa | SF | Memphis | 6'9" | 215 | Freshman |
| 19 | Nico Mannion | PG | Arizona | 6'3" | 190 | Freshman |
| 20 | Landers Nolly II | SG | Virginia Tech | 6'7" | 230 | Freshman |
| 21 | Steven Enoch | PF/C | Louisville | 6'10" | 255 | Senior |
| 22 | Isaiah Livers | PF/SF | Michigan | 6'7" | 230 | Junior |
| 23 | Trayce Jackson-Davis | PF/C | Indiana | 6'10" | 235 | Freshman |
| 24 | Wendell Moore Jr. | SG/SF | Duke | 6'6" | 210 | Freshman |
| 25 | Nahziah Carter | SG/SF | Washington | 6'6" | 205 | Junior |
| 26 | LJ Figueroa | SF/SG | St. John's | 6'6" | 195 | Junior |
| 27 | Ochai Agbaji | SF | Kansas | 6'5" | 210 | Sophomore |
| 28 | Cassius Stanley | SG | Duke | 6'6" | 198 | Freshman |
| 29 | Josh Green | SG/SF | Arizona | 6'6" | 205 | Freshman |
| 30 | Isaac Okoro | SG | Auburn | 6'5" | 200 | Freshman |
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