Michael Malone has his first win as UNC’s head coach, but he does have a problem to solve.
Unfortunately, this problem has followed the Tar Heels from the preseason into the regular season.
Rebounding.
Yes, we’re talking about rebounding. Again.
North Carolina escaped its season opener with an 80-72 win over Western Carolina, but the Catamounts exposed an issue that should genuinely concern Tar Heel fans.
Western Carolina outrebounded UNC 41-32, at the Dean Smith Center. If you think that’s bad, just wait until you see how long it’s been since something similar happened.
UNC’s rebounding struggles are becoming a legitimate concern
Let’s start with the obvious.
Western Carolina had absolutely no business controlling the glass against North Carolina the way it did Monday night.
The Catamounts grabbed 41 rebounds, including 13 on the offensive end, while the Tar Heels managed just 32 total rebounds and seven offensive boards. That’s a nine-rebound advantage for a Western Carolina team that didn’t start a single player taller than 6-foot-9.
Here’s where things get REALLY ugly.
The last time a program outside the power conferences out-rebounded North Carolina by at least nine at the Dean Smith Center was November 10, 2000. That night, Winthrop held a 40-31 advantage on the glass.
Ironically enough, that was Matt Doherty’s first game as North Carolina’s head coach.
Fast-forward nearly 26 years, and Malone’s debut produced an eerily similar result. That’s not exactly the Carolina basketball history anyone was hoping to recreate.
No, we’re not trying to make this sound even worse, but… this wasn’t some random opening-night occurrence. We’ve seen this before from this team.
The warning signs were there throughout the preseason
Remember UNC’s exhibition loss to Indiana?
The Hoosiers absolutely dominated the glass, outrebounding the Tar Heels 53-31. Malone wasn’t happy.
Rebounding had been a point of emphasis heading into that matchup, yet North Carolina still got pushed around.
Surely things would improve against Charlotte, right?
Wrong.
The 49ers won the rebounding battle 36-30. And now Western Carolina has followed suit. Let’s do the math. Over those three games, North Carolina has been outrebounded 130-93, a 37-rebound disadvantage.
Now that is NOT Carolina basketball.
At some point, we have to stop treating this as an early-season hiccup and start recognizing it for what it is. A legitimate weakness.
The numbers from Monday night didn’t bring to light an issue, they only confirmed that this is an issue that needs to be resolved quickly.
North Carolina needs more from its frontcourt
Here’s something that should jump off the page.
Jarin Stevenson and Sayon Keita, UNC’s frontcourt duo, combined for just FOUR rebounds against Western Carolina.
Yes, you read that right… four.
Meanwhile, Neo Avdalas led the Tar Heels with seven rebounds, while Terrence Brown grabbed five.
Since Avdalas and Brown are considered guards, you can tell that Malone is emphasizing that rebounding must be a five-person effort. He’s absolutely right. Every player on the floor needs to contribute, regardless of position.
However, let’s not pretend North Carolina can consistently beat quality opponents when its starting power forward and center combine for only four rebounds. That’s simply not going to cut it. To his credit, Malone isn’t ignoring the issue.
After Monday’s victory, the first-year head coach acknowledged that Western Carolina’s 13 offensive rebounds were concerning, particularly the lack of production from his starting frontcourt.
According to Brown, the coaching staff has already emphasized rebounding through specialized drills in practice, including basketless exercises that force players to focus on positioning and securing the ball.
Clearly, the message is being delivered.
The problem?
It hasn’t translated to game action yet.
Michael Malone needs to fix this before UNC’s schedule gets tougher
Here’s the thing: nobody should be calling for the sky to fall after one regular-season game.
North Carolina is 1-0.
Monday’s victory brought plenty of positives, and this roster still has several players learning to play together. Growing pains were inevitable, we all knew that coming into this season.
However, there is a difference between growing pains and a recurring issue that could cost this team games. Rebounding falls into the second category. North Carolina held Western Carolina to just 33.9 percent shooting from the field. That’s a pretty solid defensive performance.
The thing is, forcing a missed shot means a whole lot less when you can’t consistently secure the rebound afterward. Good defensive possessions need to end with the basketball in your hands. If you don’t rebound, your opponent will have more opportunities to put the ball in the basket.
Western Carolina controlled the glass, but UNC found a way to survive. That might not be the case once the competition gets tougher as the regular season rolls alone.
Malone knows what championship basketball looks like. He’s repeatedly emphasized the importance of physicality, toughness, and doing the little things needed to win.
Rebounding is certainly one of those things, and right now, UNC isn’t doing it nearly well enough.
The good news is that there’s plenty of time to address the problem.
The bad news?
We’ve been saying this since the preseason, and we haven’t seen improvement just yet.
While we all hope Cameron Fens will be eligible at some point, we can’t keep banking on it or waiting for his eligibility situation to change. The guys who are eligible must find a way to get the job done, as this will be a full team effort to ensure that the rebounding efforts improve over time. If they continue to trend the way they’ve been, UNC will have a tough time beating quality opponents this season.
