After a disappointing 71-70 loss against Boston College to go back under .500, the North Carolina men’s basketball team is looking for a much-needed win on the road against No. 5 Florida State on Monday.
Here are three things the Tar Heels need to do in Tallahassee in order to get back to winning ways.
Three-point shooting on both sides
In FSU’s last matchup, a 74-63 victory on the road against Virginia Tech, Devin Vassell shot seven of seven from beyond the arc, tying an ACC record. The Tar Heels will look to limit Vassell’s 3-point opportunities on Monday, as well as the rest of the Seminoles. Florida State shoots 36.1 percent from 3-point range, the fourth-highest mark in the ACC. This may prove to be a challenge for the Tar Heels, who currently rank 200th in the country in defending the deep ball.
Offensively, UNC will look to knock down some deep balls through Cole Anthony and Brandon Robinson. Robinson is shooting 35.3 percent from 3-point range, behind Vassell for the fifth-highest mark in the ACC.
Adjusting to Anthony
North Carolina has been plagued by injuries so far this season. Going into the game against Boston College, seven different Tar Heels had missed a combined 65 games due to injury, the highest number in the Roy Williams era.
One of UNC’s biggest losses due to injury was first-year Cole Anthony, who suffered a knee injury back in December that sidelined him for seven weeks. He came back to action for the Tar Heels against Boston College, but his return did not go as smoothly as UNC would have hoped.
Anthony was able to contribute individually, posting a game-high 26 points and shooting 14 for 14 at the free throw line. But Anthony’s return seemed to disrupt the play of the Tar Heels, who had gone 11 games without him. UNC was riding a two-game win streak prior to its loss against the Eagles, and in those two wins shot 54 percent from the floor. But in the loss to Boston College, the Tar Heels shot just 36 percent from the floor.
