Despite not being at full strength for over a month, the North Carolina Tar Heels are 8-1 at the midway point of December. Yes, the opponents have not always been blue-blood programs, but with a roster consisting of seven newcomers, North Carolina should be more than happy about their current status.
In the latest AP Poll Rankings, the Tar Heels were slotted as the No. 15 team in the country. That is impressive when considering the fact that senior guard Seth Trimble has been out since the third game of the season after suffering a freak workout accident last month.
During his weekly radio appearance on Monday, head coach Hubert Davis provided an update on Trimble’s status with conference play around the corner.
Davis’ Thoughts
“[Seth Trimble] is doing really well,” Davis said. “He’s working out, he’s running and he’s doing individual workouts every day, and he’s getting closer and closer to getting back out there on the floor.”
Trimble is the only player on the roster who has played significant minutes, who has been in the program more than two seasons. Every player in the current starting lineup is playing their first season in Chapel Hill. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard is in the midst of his senior year and is averaging career-highs in points (14.5) and assists (3.5).
Davis explained what has been missing on the court with Trimble out of the lineup for over four weeks.
“His ability to be able to attack the basket in transition, be able to score, and his leadership has been off the chart,” Davis said. “I’m really looking forward to him getting back out on the floor really soon.”
North Carolina’s backcourt has seen an uptick in production over the last two games, but that element of creating off the dribble has been mostly absent from the offensive operation. Derek Dixon possesses the most potential of the three guards, but he plays in limited minutes off the bench.
With Trimble out, Davis has had to adjust on the fly and construct a rotation between Dixon, Kyan Evans, and Luka Bogavac. The 55-year-old head coach explained that process.
“At the beginning of the year, we didn’t have Luka, then we had the full team for two games, and then now Seth has been gone,” Davis said. “And then when Seth comes back, it’s like another team. We’re just trying to find out the rotations, but I can’t wait for Seth to get back out there on the floor.”
