Conventional wisdom says it’s important to have a deep roster in basketball. But when No. 8 North Carolina travels to Durham to face No. 2 Duke on Thursday, don’t expect either team to depend on their reserves too much.
According to Ken Pomeroy’s advanced metrics, the Tar Heels rank 202nd out of 351 Division I teams in bench minutes, while the Blue Devils are at No. 261.
It certainly doesn’t hurt to have several guys on your bench ready to go if their name is called, but it’s not a necessity for success. Last year’s champion, Villanova, came in at No. 302 in bench minutes.
In 2016, when No. 10 seed Syracuse unexpectedly made a run to the Final Four, the Orange ranked second to last in Pomeroy’s metric.
“If you don't get anybody hurt, it's not a problem,” Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said that season. “It really isn't.”
Outside of a historically poor game against Louisville in January and a loss to No. 4 Virginia that stings mostly because of the way it unfolded, UNC has largely handled its business in ACC play, looking like a team capable of playing several rounds into the NCAA tournament.
But Boeheim’s crucial modifier is interesting because of how it relates to this year’s Tar Heels.
Players have gotten hurt.
Sterling Manley has at least started to participate in practice again, but the sophomore big man still hasn’t played since Dec. 29 against Davidson due to a sore left knee.