North Carolina’s second game against Wofford arrives with the Tar Heels already carrying a few obvious questions from their season opener.
Monday night didn’t leave much room for celebration, even in a win. North Carolina looked shaky on both ends against Western Carolina, and Friday’s matchup gives the Tar Heels a chance to clean up the same issues that showed up right away.
The biggest thing to watch is what Michael Malone does with the rotation. The opener exposed some clear problems in shooting efficiency and rebounding, and those are the areas that will be under the microscope again against Wofford. A lineup tweak would not be surprising after what happened Monday, especially with the staff getting an early look at what works and what doesn’t.
Sayon Keita is one of the names to keep an eye on. The elite overseas prospect was ineffective against Western Carolina, and his inexperience showed.
If the former FC Barcelona center continues to struggle on the glass, a change could be on the table. At the same time, his development was always going to take time, so patience is part of the equation too.
One possible adjustment would be giving Maximo Adams a bigger role, whether that means moving him into the starting lineup or simply increasing his minutes. North Carolina would give up some size if Jarin Stevenson is used at center, but Adams brings rebounding and another scoring option.
When Keita is on the floor, the Tar Heels need to use him in the post. That’s part of the larger issue with this team so far: through the three exhibition games and the opener, the offense has leaned heavily on the backcourt to create everything.
The numbers from Monday tell the story. North Carolina took 30 3-pointers and made only nine. Without a traditional offensive center, the offense can get stretched thin, and that’s exactly what happened when Western Carolina hung around longer than expected.
Friday should still be a game North Carolina handles, but that was supposed to be true on Monday too. If the Tar Heels don’t show real improvement against Wofford, the concerns will only get louder.
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