Watch the Tape: North Carolina Tar Heels

Saturday evening was a perfect example of the greatness of college basketball. Two blue blood programs trading blows down the stretch. Elite guard play going back-and-forth making tough shots. A fast-paced contest with a ton of possessions and a final score in the 80’s. The #14 Kentucky Wildcats came away victorious at the CBS Sports Classic in Atlanta defeating the #9 North Carolina Tar Heels 87-83. The win moved Coach Calipari to 6-1 when facing a Top 10 ranked North Carolina team. These two storied programs have had some historic battles over the last 13 years and this matchup certainly lived up to the hype. The Wildcats are now 8-2 on the season with the rival Louisville Cardinals up next on Thursday, December 21st.

Balance has been the story of the season so far for the ‘Cats. Six players average in double-figures while a seventh is just behind at 9.6 points per game. Seven Wildcats’ average at least 4.1 rebounds per game. Four guys average at least 3.9 assists per game. That balance has been a calling card to the early season success and certainly remained true in Saturday’s win over North Carolina. Rob Dillingham led four double-figure scorers with 17 points, but four more scored between seven and nine points on the night. Furthermore, Kentucky thoroughly dominated the glass despite nobody capturing more than six rebounds. Three different ‘Cats had six rebounds while seven total guys brought in at least three. That is the definition of balance.

As always, we’ve been hard at work inside of the KSR Film Room breaking down Kentucky’s most recent contest. The offense continues to operate at a very high level while the defense once again showed some major signs of improvement in stretches. Then, down the stretch, the Wildcats simply had the “dudes” that allowed them to win the game. Let’s dive on in and take a closer look at how Kentucky was able to defeat the North Carolina Tar Heels at State Farm Arena.

Offensive Execution Remains at a High Level

Big Blue Nation continues to largely underestimate this team defensively. Their ability to force turnovers and how they can now protect the rim with Aaron Bradshaw, Ugonna Onyenso, and Adou Thiero has vaulted them into the KenPom Top 50. We will dive more into that later, but regardless of the defensive improvements this team will always hang their hat on the offensive end of the floor. Kentucky has a chance to truly be elite offensively. They play fast, take care of the ball, and can flat out shoot the basketball. However, their overall execution shouldn’t be lost in the excitement of individual talent. Coach Calipari and company has this group executing like a well-oiled machine.

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Execution comes a little easier when you have played together for years and years. DJ Wagner and Aaron Bradshaw may be freshmen but there is no shortage of chemistry between the two high school and AAU teammates. All season long Kentucky has been excellent at scoring both from out-of-bounds under and sideline out-of-bounds. Here they get into this handoff action that leads to Bradshaw rolling to the basket for a lob. There is almost nothing the North Carolina Tar Heels can do defensively to take this away.

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With North Carolina switching everything 1-4 and even most screens 1-5 the coaching staff clearly wanted to get to some flare screens early in the second half. On the previous possession DJ Wagner knocked one in behind the flare. Now, in this clip, you see Antonio Reeves slip the flare screen as the Tar Heels switch. That is really high IQ basketball and led to a quick run by the ‘Cats out of the halftime break.

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One of the reasons why you switch defensively is that it is the best way to take the opposing offense out of what they want to do. It blows up a lot of half court set plays and will lead to hunting mismatches instead. Even Tre Mitchell is upset, at first, that Justin Edwards didn’t feed him the ball with #2 Cadeau guarding him. However, Edwards was able to see something that Mitchell couldn’t. #4 Davis had cheated all the way over off of Antonio Reeves to help in on the potential post feed. That left Reeves wide open in the opposite corner and Edwards delivered a perfect skip pass. Forcing the ball inside to Mitchell wasn’t the move here. Excellent execution and recognition by Edwards to hit Reeves for a wide open look.

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There is nothing harder to guard than early ballscreen action. The North Carolina Tar Heels had cut a 12 point deficit in half in just about 90 seconds here and the ‘Cats needed a bucket. However, for an offense as potent as Kentucky’s, that doesn’t mean you have to run 25 seconds of offense. Sometimes your best look will come in the first seven or eight seconds of the shot clock. That was certainly true here as the Wildcats got to a double drag ballscreen on the right wing. Ugonna Onyenso rolled to the basket while Tre Mitchell replaced behind the ball to the wing. Sometimes simple offense is good offense. Great shot by Mitchell and great execution to stop the bleeding by Kentucky’s offense.

‘Cats Continue to Flash Defensive Improvement

An untrained eye would look at the final score, see the North Carolina Tar Heels scored 83 points, and come to the conclusion that Kentucky didn’t play well defensively. However, that would be severely shortsighted. There are many factors that go into the bigger picture. First of all, there were 81 possessions in this basketball game. Giving up over one point per possession isn’t great, but against an offense as good as the Tar Heels’ you’ll live with it. Secondly, we know this isn’t going to be a team that locks up possession after possession. However, what they can do is cause havoc. They will force turnovers and block shots. On Saturday night they turned North Carolina over 17 teams and blocked nine shots. That is this team’s calling card defensively.

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As soon as the game started it was clear Kentucky was locked in defensively. The coaching staff put together an excellent game plan and the Wildcats executed it on the floor. In our KSR Scouting Report we talked a lot about not over helping when #2 Cadeau drives. He is primarily driving to pass and you can’t help off of guys like #4 Davis, #3 Ryan, or #55 Ingram. Some Kentucky players still are watching the ball a little too much, but they never physically committed to the ball. Instead, they let Cadeau drive it behind the basket and kick it back out to the top. Eventually, the Tar Heels turned it over. That is how you execute a scouting report.

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A lot was made coming into the game about how Kentucky would matchup inside with Armando Bacot. The North Carolina Tar Heels star center was completely neutralized though finishing with more turnovers, six, than shot attempts, four. This clip showcases perfect defensive execution. First of all, Aaron Bradshaw does a good job contesting the entry pass to push Bacot’s catch off of the block. Then, Adou Thiero stays to help while his man cuts through to the weak side. Finally, Thiero doubles a second time Bacot reposted and forced the turnover as he tried to throw it back out. It doesn’t get much more picture perfect than this.

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Ugonna Onyenso made his presence felt right away when returning to the floor on Saturday. The 7’0″ sophomore blocked three shots in less than 10 minutes of action which is exactly what is needed from him off of the bench. Onyenso’s presence at the rim allows more aggressiveness on the perimeter. In this clip you can see how Reed Sheppard sold out to run #55 Ingram off of the three-point line knowing there was a shot blocker waiting inside.

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You simply cannot teach the level of awareness that Reed Sheppard has on the basketball floor. Tre Mitchell actually got hung up in the Spain Action here a bit, but Sheppard was there to tag on Bacot’s roll. Then, as soon as Davis picked up his dribble, Sheppard recovered to his man and jumped the passing lane for a steal. Turning turnovers into points is a big part of what will make Kentucky’s defense “good enough” this season.

Big Time Players Making Big Time Plays

When Kentucky lost to Kansas State in the Round of 32 of last season’s NCAA Tournament Coach Jerome Tang talked about how they had more “dudes” down the stretch. Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson were All-Americans on that team and made enough plays down the stretch to defeat UK. RJ Davis tried his best to do the same on Saturday night for the North Carolina Tar Heels. The star guard knocked in a pair of incredible three-point shots late that help cut their deficit to one point with just under two minutes to play. However, the Wildcats had the “dudes” this time around to ultimately win the game. Antonio Reeves, DJ Wagner, and Rob Dillingham all made tough shots to help the ‘Cats come away victorious.

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Sometimes you just have to let your best players make plays. Good offense doesn’t always have to be an intricate set play or something you draw up in the huddle. Coaching is all about putting your best players in the best position to succeed. Coach Calipari did that at the end of Saturday’s game against the North Carolina Tar Heels. Reeves, Wagner, and Dillingham all stepped up and hit tough shots that were necessary to win the game.