C. L. Brown for the News & Observer, a finalist for the North Carolina Sports Writer of the Year Award.
He joins us on the Adam Gold Show. Armando Bacot's postgame was striking to me. Obviously, he's frustrated. It almost seems like he wonders if everybody is in it for the same reasons he's in it, although that's really just from his own perspective. What did you take from that postgame? And then we'll talk about the game.
Well, yeah, definitely. Armando is such a fun loving kid. You know, even in past defeats, he generally stays positive.
He's generally frank, too, you know, in assessing where they're at. And so that was the first time I've ever seen him show that much frustration after a game. And, and the funny thing is, even while he was doing it, he was still pretty even tone. You know, he wasn't hysterical.
He wasn't yelling. He wasn't, you know, tossing, tossing stuff around in the locker room, you know, but I do think this could be a pivotal moment just in terms of I've kind of wondered what kind of a leader Armando is because he definitely, you know, has the credentials to be that guy for Carolina if he wanted to, to be more vocal and kind of step on toes if he needs to. And I think we'll see if that happens from this because, you know, clearly something, you know, something is off. And Armando believes it can be fixed.
But, you know, I think he was wondering if it's ever going to happen. Yeah, you know, we always wondered, did teams turn a corner? We didn't believe that North Carolina as a team turned a corner last year until we really they got into the NCAA tournament, and they started continuing to play in a way that was befitting a team that was going to make it to a Final Four. Because even the win over Duke to a lot of people didn't see coming and it almost seemed like a one-off, but they started to produce. What, I mean, when you look back at this game, what did you see as the reason that Carolina could not put Pitt away? Well, they couldn't stop Burton, right? Jamarius Burton just had his way. And honestly, it wasn't, you know, 31 points on 14 of 17 shooting, like he wasn't a guy who just got hot from outside.
We've seen that kind of version happened before. He was getting in the paint, you know, he was getting high percentage shot. So it wasn't it was something that they could have stopped had they played a little better defensively and and and I don't even, you know, find fault with with much that they did offensively, you know, in some of those final possessions during down the stretch of the game, they were still going to Armando.
I mean, I remember one possession in particular where he felt like he got fouled. He literally turns to the ref to complain, you know, after the play, but they were still kind of sticking to what was working and sticking to what they need to do to win, but it was the defensive end, you know, you you gotta get some stops. And I think what's to me was most disappointing is they got enough veterans on this team to where they know what the road is like, especially in conference play.
And this was a game where students were gone. It wasn't what a normal pit environment would have been for Carolina coming to town, you know, and there was a lot of Carolina blue in the crowd too, you know, so they caught a break in that respect, but they just didn't close it out when they needed to close it out. And and I think that's kind of been a perpetual problem for this team this year is they get up, they have these leads, and then they don't they don't finish the job. They just kind of, you know, I don't want to say coast, but they definitely don't. They don't put their pedal to the metal and finish it off.
They kind of just, you know, ease up feel like it's going to take care of itself. It seems CL Brown News and Observer beat reporter for the North Carolina Tar Heels is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. He questioned his teammates toughness or is it his team? I don't want to make this out to be that Armando Baker is questioning, you know, individual players here.
I mean, he might he may be so I'm not trying to shy away from it. But he was asked it. Was this a toughness situation? He said yes matter.
Maybe he's calling himself out to although he did say maybe I should go club guys. What did you make of the lineup with no Pete Nance on the floor late? Well, I think we asked you about that after the game because he put DeMarco done in and and that's who Henson hit the three over that that, you know, gave gave pit the lead for good. And he wanted that balance of, you know, perimeter shooting and also I personally think DeMarco done is, you know, maybe right behind Leaky Black on his team in terms of being a good defender, right? He gets a lot of deflection. He gets he keeps guys in front of them for the most part.
And so I didn't I didn't really have a problem with that move. But I think I haven't explored this statistically yet, but I feel like Carolina might almost be better off if he went to the old school Dean Smith blue unit. When he subbed in, he brought in five guys because I kind of feel like that's what Carolina loses some of its luster when they go to the bench. And it's a lineup and I'm not talking about just putting one guy you know, bring in Seth Trimble and you got one guy off the bench for starters. I mean, when you go to the multiple guys off the bench and it's a it's, you know, these different lineups and I feel like they lose something when when it's those situations and I almost feel like it'd be better off if he had five guys who play all the time and knew they were getting in, and they go in and they, you know, ball out for however many minutes there in the game and then they come back to start because it just doesn't seem to be a continuity that flows through when the bench comes in, and he has the bench.
I'm not saying that I should go back to that, you know, I am five situations but something's got to give because it's just I feel like they're not keeping the same, you know, I feel like there's a little bit of a drop off when there are multiple guys in the game from off the bench who still maybe haven't just gotten used to playing with each other. CL Brown is joining us here from the News and Observer. I am Adam Gold.
This is the Adam Gold show. So, finding chemistry is a hard thing to do. And forcing chemistry is impossible to do. I think you and I agree that part of last year was a team figuring each other out as much as anything else. Is it possible that this team still just hasn't quite gotten it with each other yet? I think that's that's certainly possible. And I also think, you know, factoring in Hubert hasn't necessarily figured the right buttons to press and the right, you know, the right chemistry for lineups when he brings guys in.
I think all of this is a work in progress. You know, at the beginning, you know, as we as we turn the page to the new calendar year, I wouldn't have expected that, you know, before the season, but I also look like it's, it's not at the end of the world yet. You know, and I look to next week's game at Virginia as being, you know, kind of a measuring stick I really want to see where they're at in that game, but I feel like the way they've played so far. I don't think they're going to lose a home game. I mean, I think they play well at home, and it's been a great environment in the Smith Center so far when they've played like I think they should win these two games.
This week against Wake Forest and Notre Dame at home, but that game against Virginia, Virginia has been as steady as we would expect with Tony Bennett having some veteran guys on the scene, and it's it's been a tough place for Carolina to win, especially in the recent years, so I'm looking at that game to really see. Okay, where, where is this team, or are they going to need kind of, you know, I'm not gonna say a miracle, but are they going to need a real awakening, you know, to get things straight or are they, are they still headed in the direction, and the Pittsburgh game was a one off, you know just the road loss coming back from break, you know, I don't know but the thing. The crazy thing about the Pittsburgh game is they played well for most of the game right, you know, I mean, a lot of times, they get down early and have to come back and you're wondering why they didn't come out stronger. They came out strong, you know they threw the first the proverbial first punch that they always talk about they threw it. And so it was just the way they close that that mess that whole game up so you know, I think there's, there's still plenty to be positive about with this team but you know we're not there yet where I'm buying the stock. All right, let me ask you one final question, is it possible that pits actually good. Oh pit is much improved from last year like last year when they went in Chapel Hill, that was like, right.
You're like how do you can't lose that game. But, Pittsburgh is very much improved. Jeff cable worked a portal, he's got older veteran guys in there. I mean, even Jamarius Burton, you know he played at pit last year but he's a fifth year guy. So he's, you know, maybe 2022 23 or something, you know what I mean like he's there they're not intimidated they know the game, you know, and they got a lot of perimeter shooting on that team so it's it's, you know, I'm not ready to say it's going to make a lot of difference in the tournament but I think they're they're much improved team that's going to be a tough out, and we'll see they got Virginia at home tonight, you know, we'll, we'll see how well they play in that game.
Yeah, it's, they played with a lot of grit, and they were. It was interesting to watch that game CL Brown I appreciate your time man. Happy New Year to you and yours, and we will talk to you soon. Always a pleasure. Appreciate you. Got it.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-01-03 17:13:50 / 2023-01-03 17:18:33 / 5