Saturday was a landmark day for the Heels. It was the first time since the Johnson Presidency that national TV has seen the Heels lead by someone under 40, the first trip to the Dean Dome for Jason Parker as “the enemy”, and the first exposure of UNC’s dangerously thin depth.

Kentucky entered the game as a decided underdog. They had most recently been shot down by a hot-shooting Penn State squad (which, incidentally, did not show up against NCSU on Wednesday) and had fallen from the national rankings like a lead balloon. Now it’s the Heels’ turn to do so. Kentucky rightfully kept their heads in the game after going down early, and emerged a better team.

UNC played some excellent segments in the game, unfortunately there were two poor ones that probably tilted the game away. The first such segment came just after the midpoint of the first half. Up by ten coach Doherty put Brian Bersticker in the lineup for Brendan Haywood. Also during that segment we saw Michael Brooker enter some for Jason Capel at the 3 position. What ensued was perhaps the worst four minutes stretch we’ve seen the Heels play in years. Bersticker was totally out of position on both ends and Michael Brooker was outmatched by his man. In the blink of an eye we saw the aggressive, interior-seeking Heels turn into a passive, zone-oriented mass of complacent confusion. Once Haywood and Capel returned, the remaining half became a wash.

The Heels exited the dressing room inspired, and played well. In the first four minutes of the second half the Heels went from three down to three up. Then Haywood went out, Bersticker went in, and for the next five minutes the Wildcats picked UNC apart defensively and hit some key shots. Halfway through the second half Kentucky was up ten and the rest isn’t even worth talking about. During that key five minute second half stretch Kentucky scored on 7 of 8 possession while the Heels could only scratch on 1 of 8. Also during the stretch Forte missed three shots from the left side made one from the center and committed one turnover. Jason Capel was called for an intentional foul as well.

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If we look at UNC’s depth chart we see: Starters: Haywood, Lang, Capel, Forte.
Backup: (PG) Boone, Morrison (C) Bersticker (SF) Brooker

UNC has scored at will when the offensive scheme focused on the four starters. As soon as the focus switches to any of the four backups playing key roles, the Heels fall apart.

How the Heels plan to overcome their now apparent depth problems is anyone’s guess. Certainly a healthy Max Owens would displace Brooker, however Owens is naturally a 2 man, not a 3. If Ronald Curry develops into the player we expected to see two years ago, the Heels will be in good shape at the PG position. Boone and Morrison will continue to improve as they gain experience.

The real trouble spot lies with Brian Bersticker. While the officials have called some soft fouls on Brendan Haywood this season, they will probably get away from their “point of emphasis” in January as they do every season. Still, Haywood physically won’t be able to play more than 34 minutes in important games. The Heels must have an answer better than Bersticker has offered thus far. Stick either needs to improve A LOT, or Doherty needs to try putting Capel at 4 and Lang at 5. We saw this option last season and it made the Heels slow and underpowered up front.

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The Heels played much zone in the game and the effects were not impressive. As I see with my little league team, the straight 2-3 zone makes the defending team passive to the point that their offense suffers. The Heels have to be able to play pressure man-to-man for at least ¾ of the game. Pressure “D” inspires the team once they earn the ball, and it leads to aggressive fast break plays.

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Occasionally I like to analyze player contributions much like the +/- method used in the NHL. When a basket is scored each of the five offensive players on the floor at that time get a plus (+) while each of the defensive players get a minus (-). At the end of the game we get an interesting statement made by the totals. (The minutes played stat is in parenthesis.)

• Johnson (1)       +1
• Owens (2)         -3
• Boone (17)        -3
• Haywood (29)      -4
• Lang (37)         -8
• Capel (29)        -8
• Boone (17)        -9
• Forte (38)       -12
• Bersticker (12)  -13
• Brooker (12)     -15

The minutes played stat is included to show legitimacy of the numbers. Obviously Johnson and Owens were not key contributors. However Bersticker and Brooker almost played 1/3 of the game and the Heels crumbled on their watch. Forte wasn’t far behind, and shot 8-22 for the game. We assume that his woes won’t continue all season. Speaking of Forte, his shot selection was well distributed around the court, and he did slightly better from the left side than on the right.

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The Heels have a woeful Miami Hurricane team on Monday where they have to prove to themselves and the coach that they are more than 4 people deep and that they can play inspired ball on both ends.