Sydney Barker only played seven minutes this season before Sunday.
But when the sophomore guard entered UNC's game against Coppin State with a minute left to play, she nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the arc with the same confidence as a fourth-year starter. Still, it wasn’t just a personal feat for the former walk-on turned roster player.
Barker became the seventh North Carolina player to hit a shot from beyond the arc in the game and the ninth to attempt one.
In their 72-46 routing of Coppin State, the Tar Heels made a season-high 12 threes and shot 69 percent from three in the first half, almost doubling their 35 percent average. While the stat line from downtown might seem like a fluke against a mid-major, it is representative of UNC’s intentional offensive evolution.
“We can stretch the floor at multiple positions,” head coach Courtney Banghart said. “Most of the time we have four legitimate three-point shooting threats in the game, and they’re really starting to figure out how to find each other.”
Part of the UNC's evolution comes from the the team's ability to adjust to defensive schemes. The Tar Heels have worked on improving their shot selection.
In their 72-53 win against Kentucky on Friday, UNC scored 42 points in the paint. But Coppin State worked to shut North Carolina down in the post by clogging lanes and preventing shots at the rim. So, the Tar Heels were forced to shift their offense outside.
“You’ve got to win a variety of ways, and this team proved to do that back-to-back, which is great,” Banghart said.
UNC's shooting from beyond the arc has been less impactful in the past. Last season, North Carolina shot 30 percent from three and attempted 570 threes all season. Graduate guard Lexi Donarski was a threat from behind the arc, but teams expected her to get the ball. She had to take contested shots often.
