Let’s go back to when Caleb Wilson got hurt for a moment. In that moment, when we all looked into the future knowing that he was going to miss significant time, very few of us likely had beating Louisville on our bingo cards. Their high-powered offense was destined to cause issues, especially when it came to what Mikel Brown Jr. has done to most teams. Fast forward to today, and we are celebrating a huge win over the Cardinals thanks to a heroic performance be Seth Trimble.
There’s no bones about
it: this was a huge win. Bigger than the one over now-number one Duke? Maybe not, but big enough to keep the Heels’ hopes of earning a double bye alive for a little bit longer. Not to mention Louisville is ranked and it is a Quad 1 win, which I hear is also an important thing to note. That said, let’s discuss three takeaways from the Heels’ victory over the Cardinals.
Seth Trimble played the game of his life
While it is unclear where it all came from, Seth Trimble went Super Saiyan against Louisville to the point that it almost felt personal. He finished his night with a career-high 30 points, four rebounds, four assists, four turnovers, and a steal. Trimble’s ability to get to the rim was on full display all night, and while he did take a few threes, they weren’t bad looks despite the fact that he went 1-3. But the Cardinals did not have an answer for his physicality and athleticism, and ultimately it led to a career night for the senior.
It’s also notable that Trimble’s defensive efforts had a huge impact on the game as well. We’ll get into that more in a moment, but he had a well-rounded performance that fans should be excited about. Even more impressive is that he only sat three minutes, so it would be of his best interest to spend the next few days in an ice bath before the Heels face off against Virginia Tech.
Evaluating UNC’s excellent defense on Mikel Brown Jr.
Things did not get off to a great start in the defense department against Louisville last night, and in particular, against Mikel Brown Jr. He was doing just as much damage as we all expected him to do, but then the Heels tightened up on defense and the end result was him finishing his night going 9-25 from the field and 6-14 from three for 24 points. It sounds like he did a lot of damage when just looking at the score total, but having to jack up 25 shots to get there is an important note.
After shooting 5-13 from the field in the first half, Brown only went 4-12 in the second half for 11 points. UNC ended up being the more physical team, making Brown and his teammates really uncomfortable operating on offense. It helps that they had to operate in the half court too, because the Cardinals are a team that loves to get out in transition to score. Credit goes to Seth Trimble and his supporting cast of guards, because despite some early struggles, they navigated the Cardinals’ balls screen action as well as I’ve seen them do it all year. Seeing how aggressive in defense is what has made the losses due to lack of defense so frustrating this year, but we can at least tip our caps for their efforts to defend their home court last night.
A quiet, productive night for Luka Bogavac
Seth Trimble and Henri Veesaar were probably the most impactful players on the court last night, but another guy that deserves credit for his performance is Luka Bogavac. He finished his night with 12 points, three rebounds, and an assist. Bogavac was perhaps the most aggressive on defense that I’ve ever seen him, and while the results varied, it is still the kind of aggression that Hubert Davis needs from him.
Bogavac’s shot selection throughout the night was also much improved. Much like Trimble, it felt like he mostly took the three-pointers that made sense, but he was able to get busy in the paint as well. Seeing him and Trimble in an important game where they were still missing Caleb Wilson is exactly what Davis needed from them in order to come out on top. Hopefully they are down to do this a few more times until Wilson is healthy enough to punish rims again.
