Tar Heels Look to Reclaim Defensive Identity vs. Cal After West Coast Setbacks
After a tough 95-90 loss to Stanford on Wednesday - their second straight West Coast stumble - No. 14 North Carolina finds itself at a bit of a crossroads.
The Tar Heels have now dropped two of their last three games, and while the offense continues to click, the defense has hit a wall. Saturday's matchup against California offers a critical chance to hit the reset button.
Let’s be clear: UNC hasn’t just been losing - they’ve been giving up points in bunches. Over the last three games, opponents have hung 97, 84, and 95 on them.
That’s not the kind of defensive stat line you expect from a team that entered ACC play as one of the stingiest in the country. Even more concerning?
Those opponents have combined to knock down 44 threes at nearly a 50% clip. That’s not just hot shooting - that’s a red flag.
“We’re getting what we want offensively,” head coach Hubert Davis said postgame on Wednesday. “But defensively, we’re just not getting sustained stops.”
And that’s the story right now. Carolina can score - they’ve proven that.
But if they can’t string together stops, especially late in games, it’s going to be tough to beat anyone, let alone make a deep run come March.
Part of the issue? The Tar Heels have let double-digit leads slip away in back-to-back games. That’s the kind of trend that speaks to more than just Xs and Os - it’s about mindset, urgency, and execution when it matters most.
Center Henri Veesaar didn’t sugarcoat it after the Stanford loss. “We have to change our identity as a team,” he said.
“Show how physical we can be and how good we can be defensively.” He’s not wrong.
The Tar Heels have the size and athleticism to be a force on that end, but right now, it’s not translating.
Veesaar pointed to the fundamentals: defending one-on-one, closing gaps, rotating quicker, and helping with more purpose. All of it adds up to a team that knows what it needs to fix - now it’s about doing it.
That’s what makes Saturday’s game against Cal so important. This isn’t just about getting back in the win column - it’s about reestablishing who this team is, especially on the defensive end.
And the drop-off has been stark. Earlier this season, UNC was leading the ACC in field goal percentage defense and holding teams to just 63.7 points per game.
Fast forward to now, and they’ve plummeted to No. 280 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, per BartTorvik.com. That’s a dramatic slide, and it’s been a key factor in their recent 1-2 stretch.
As for California, they’re dealing with their own struggles. The Golden Bears come in on a three-game skid with losses to Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Duke.
They’re 13-5 overall but just 1-4 in ACC play, and their best win came back in November against UCLA. Their lone conference victory?
Notre Dame.
UNC should have a clear edge on the glass. Veesaar and freshman standout Caleb Wilson each poured in 26 points against Stanford and helped the Heels outrebound the Cardinal by 10. More impressively, they posted a 13-0 advantage in second-chance points - a stat that often reveals effort and positioning more than talent.
That rebounding dominance could show up again Saturday. Cal ranks No. 305 nationally in offensive rebounding and No. 227 in defensive rebounding - not exactly a recipe for winning the battle on the boards. If UNC brings the same energy inside, they’ll have plenty of opportunities to control tempo and limit Cal’s possessions.
Still, rebounding alone won’t fix everything. The Tar Heels need to recommit to defense - especially on the perimeter - if they want to get back to looking like a top-15 team.
The offense is there. The talent is there.
But until the defense catches up, the ceiling remains lower than it should be.
Saturday’s game is more than just another non-conference matchup - it’s a chance for UNC to rediscover the identity that made them dangerous to begin with. If they can get back to stringing together stops, this West Coast trip could still end on a high note.