At this point in the season, teams are who they are, including good and bad tendencies that they have developed since the first game of the 2025 college basketball season. The North Carolina Tar Heels are an example of an imperfect team that need to address multiple blemishes as the NCAA tournament steadily approaches.
With March right around the corner, and only a few games left in the regular season, let’s analyze a couple of worrisome concerns that have presented themselves over the last two weeks with the Tar Heels.
Slow Starts
This has been a re-occurring issue for North Carolina since the beginning of the season, but it seemed to be a thing of the past, but those problems have presented themselves in the last few games. Against North Carolina State – without Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar – the Tar Heels instantly faced a double-digit deficit eight minutes into the game en route to a 24-point loss.
North Carolina followed that up against a lesser opponent in Syracuse, falling behind 8-2 in the opening minutes of the game. The Tar Heels were able to manage and ultimately win 77-64, but that was something to monitor heading into Monday night’s heavyweight battle against Louisville. For the second time in three games, North Carolina faced a double-digit deficit in the first half, as they trailed 23-13 against the Cardinals in the opening 10 minutes of the game. Luckily, Seth Trimble was unstoppable that night, carrying the Tar Heels to a 77-74 win.
Nevertheless, this is a trend that cannot continue into the conference tournament and the NCAA tournament next month. North Carolina has shown the ability to steady the ship, but in elimination games, a slow start can be all she writes for the Tar Heels.
Free Throw Shooting
This has been a season-long issue for North Carolina, which shoots 68 percent from the free throw line, ranking 320th in the country. However, it has been especially worrisome in the last two games, as the Tar Heels have shot 24-of-47 from the stripe during that span, including 9-of-19 against Louisville, which was their worst output of the season in the free throw department.
Poor free throw shooting keeps opposing teams within striking distance, as was the case against Syracuse, or puts extra stress on closing out a game and solidifying a victory, which occurred against Louisville, and could cause North Carolina to exit the NCAA tournament earlier than expected. The Tar Heels possess a high ceiling and could make a run in March, but that is impossible to achieve with underwhelming efficiency from the free throw line.
Combination of Both Factors is Majorly Concerning
Starting games on the wrong foot and struggling from the free throw line may be the worst combination of weaknesses to have in March. If the Tar Heels are a first- or second-round exit in the NCAA tournament, a good bet for their downfall is that these events occur.
