Fouls, defensive struggles stunt UNC men's basketball in loss to Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM — Hubert Davis’ voice trailed off.

“I thought we…”

The head coach looked at the table in front of him. He took a long pause. He shrugged before continuing. 

“I thought we competed defensively the entire game,” he said. “Our competitive fight was really good. We just couldn’t keep them off the free throw line.” 

In his short post-game press conference, the head coach mentioned Wake's Forest's ability to get to the line three times.

Wake Forest made 27 trips to the charity stripe in UNC's 67-66 loss to the Demon Deacons on Tuesday night at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Tar Heels only went to the line 10 times. North Carolina did not earn a single free throw attempt in the second half. While the foul shots were a part of the story, they were also a symptom of a larger defensive struggle.

In the first half, the Demon Deacons shot 29.6 percent from the field. In the second? 50 percent. Four Wake Forest starters finished in the double-digits. 

“We didn’t consistently put stops together,” first-year forward Drake Powell said. “We hang our hats on defense, and that’s just something we couldn’t get done.”

Despite Wake Forest’s shooting struggles, Hubert Davis said UNC only exited the half up 31-29 because the Demon Deacons had 16 opportunities at the line. 

And then North Carolina’s pressure on the ball changed. 

Initially, the Tar Heels forced Wake Forest to settle for contested two-pointers. In the opening 20 minutes, the Demon Deacons only converted on eight field goals on 27 attempts. The Tar Heels want to force those contested shots. That is always UNC’s objective, according to graduate guard RJ Davis.

But six minutes into the second half, Wake Forest went 5-8 from the field to tie the score at 39. 

“The pick-and-rolls slacked off a little bit,” RJ Davis said. “There wasn’t as much pressure on the ball for the guards, and then our bigs weren’t up to touch.”

The Demon Deacons scored 20 points in the paint in the second half compared to six in the first. 

The cracks deepened. 

A 12-4 run followed to put Wake Forest up 51-43 with just over eight minutes remaining. 

Although Wake Forest did not visit the charity stripe until the run was over, fouls plagued the Tar Heels. After the seven minute mark, WFU shot 11 free throws. 

Down 62-56 with a minute and a half to go, sophomore guard Elliot Cadeau scrambled to grab a rebound under the basket. He was called for a foul. Wake Forest's Tre’Von Spillers was in the process of finishing at the rim. Junior forward Jalen Washington jumped, slapping the ball out the air. The whistle sounded. Washington was called for goaltending. 

Wake Forest had a three-point play. 

Washington slammed his hands against his thighs and yelled. He lowered his head. 

The Demon Deacons recorded 21 points from the free throw line. UNC scored six. 

That was the difference for Hubert Daivs.

“We fouled a lot,” RJ Davis said. “That didn’t really help us or our rhythm of the game.” 

@carolinewills03

@dthsports | sports@dailytarheel.com

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