North Carolina Basketball: Tar Heels Will Bounce Back After Upset Loss to UNLV

Welcome to the 2011-12 college basketball season. What makes college basketball so great is the fact that any team can get defeated on any given night.

North Carolina was the latest casualty to get upset after a loss to UNLV 90-80 late Saturday night. The Tar Heels shouldn’t worry about that one blemish because they will be perfectly fine going forward.

This isn’t college football when one loss means the end of the world. This is college basketball—you have to make the NCAA Tournament and anything can happen.

We have seen teams like Pittsburgh, Connecticut, Florida State, Vanderbilt and now North Carolina get upset this season. It happens in college basketball. That’s the beauty of the game.

Sure, North Carolina has issues that need to be kinked out like defense, outside shooting, better offensive execution, etc, but it was just one game. It’s early in the season and even the best teams are trying to iron things out.

Give UNLV some credit. Former coach Lon Kruger left behind an experienced a talented bunch when he left for Oklahoma. Dave Rice is a fantastic coach to replace Kruger. 

Chace Stanback, who scored a career-high 28 points, is a talented senior that was originally recruited by UCLA.

Oscar Bellfield is a senior guard that has continued to get better and better throughout his four years at UNLV. He destroyed UNC with his constant penetration. He finished the game with 16 points and nine assists. UNLV finished with 22 assists.

This is a talented program that is used to getting to the NCAA Tournament. It was their night.

The ultimate equalizer in college hoops is the three-point ball. UNLV made 13 triples. It will be tough to win when you allow 13 three's. 

Areas of Concern

Defense is easily a major concern. It has been for several years. They couldn’t stop Bellfield’s penetration, and it burned the Tar Heels all night long.

Kendall Marshall is without a doubt the best pure point guard in the nation. However, he is like a matador on defense. If he wants to succeed at the next level, defense will be an area where he MUST improve upon.

North Carolina's half-court offense was pathetic, especially in the second half. It almost seemed like the Tar Heels were using the NBA’s 24-second shot clock. They would make one pass and then it would be one-on-one.

This isn’t the NBA. Teams won’t be successful playing that kind of basketball.

North Carolina shot 61 percent from the free-throw line. They carried a plus-15 ratio in amount of free throws camped to the Rebels. John Henson missed four three throws, James Michael McAdoo missed three and Harrison Barnes missed two. 

Areas That Can Be Improved Upon

Defense will never be North Carolina’s strong suit. However, they can improve enough to get the job done. They must defend penetration and the three-point line with more success.

Half-court offense and free-throw shooting are areas that can be improved upon, too. Anytime you have a point guard like Marshall, you should be in great shape.

There is a reason why North Carolina was ranked No. 1 to start the season—they’re that talented. They have the best front-line in the country with Henson, Barnes and Tyler Zeller. Marshall is one of the best point guards in the country.

North Carolina will unquestionably be a team to reckon with come tournament time. They will learn from this loss and be even more dangerous when it really matters.