UNC men's basketball shuts down Cal's Andrej Stojakovic, Golden Bears' offense in win

The play was designed for Cal's leading scorer, Andrej Stojakovic. The Bears were still within striking distance of North Carolina, trailing by 11 with just over 13 minutes to play.

Junior guard Seth Trimble started the possession guarding Stojakovic close to the baseline. When Stojakovic flashed to the wing, Trimble and first-year guard Ian Jackson communicated and switched. Jackson followed Stojakovic step-for-step over a screen as he drove into the paint and put up a left-handed layup.

Junior forward Ven-Allen Lubin helped off of his man. He rose up. Rejected.

That was the kind of night it was for Stojakovic, who was averaging 20.3 points per game — and conference-leading 24.2 in ACC play — entering the night. The Tar Heels held him to a season-low six points. 

“Everyone, as a team, did a really good job against one of the better players in the country,” head coach Hubert Davis said.

North Carolina’s tenacious and stifling team defensive performance led to a 79-53 victory over California Wednesday night in the Dean E. Smith Center. The Golden Bears scored 24 points below their season average on just 35 percent shooting from the field and 12 percent from three. Cal’s 53 points are the fewest a UNC opponent has scored all season.

The win marks four straight for the Tar Heels. During this stretch — since Jan. 2 — UNC is fourth in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency on Bart Torvik's rankings.

“Our communication has been a lot better,” junior forward Jalen Washington said. “Our on-ball defense has been a lot better. Guys being in the gap. Low guys being pulled in just being impactful. Having hands. Getting deflections. Steals. Everything.”

Defense has been a struggle at times this season. Despite recent improvement, UNC is still 16th out of 18 teams in the ACC in points allowed per game. On the flip side, the Tar Heels are now first in the ACC in points scored per game. 

Sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau said UNC never has trouble scoring. So in practice, they have shifted their focus to defense and rebounding. 

“We feel like defense is just energy and effort,” Cadeau said. “We just got to put a lot of time and detail into it.”

On Wednesday, after UNC held Cal to 29 points in the first half, the emphasis in the halftime locker room from Davis was to put two complete defensive halves together. Davis said that over the previous five games, opponents were shooting over 50 percent from the field on average. 

He asked his players, “What kind of team are we gonna be in the second half?”

Cal only scored 24 points in the final 20 minutes. 

“This is the first time in a long time that we played defense for the entire game,” Davis said.

Cal is third in the ACC in free throws made. UNC defended without fouling, which Davis said his team did not do against Louisville and Notre Dame. The Golden Bears only made two free throws on five attempts.

To defend Stojakovic, North Carolina used a variety of looks, including double teams when he got the ball in the post. They prevented him from getting open looks from the outside. Trimble's energy, paired with the length of first-year forward Drake Powell, slowed Stojakovic down.

“That’s as good as you can get,” Davis said. “They’re just gifted athletically, especially on the defensive end.”

The Tar Heels have come together on defense. The improvement has started to show. 

“A defensive team is best when they’re talking, when they’re gelled, when they’re playing together,” Trimble said. “I think that’s been us the past few games.”