File photo by Arianna Hoffmann
McDonald and others aren't hitting open jump shots
Carolina can get away with that kind of shooting against several weak ACC teams, but against Duke or in the NCAA Tournament, those results likely will condemn the team to defeat. Not only did the Heels fail to make threes, they attempted far too many. On a night when the big men mostly delivered inside — and certainly relative to the guards — jacking up three after three made little sense.
Of course, as the team's shooting woes accumulate, they'll continue to face packed zone defenses that attempt to force the Heels away from their preferred inside-out offense.
Nothing too dramatic should be read into this performance, of course. It's common for teams to slack off against a weak foe, and Wake definitely is that. The elevated concern level is due more to the trend; Carolina hasn't shot well since the first half of the Duke game last Wednesday, resulting in 100 minutes of shooting futility.
The Tar Heels stay at home for their next contest, Saturday afternoon versus Boston College. To view the UNC/Wake box score, click here.