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UNC allows ten threes in lackluster defensive first half at Cal
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- UNC allows ten threes in lackluster defensive first half at Cal
"It's early in the season. It was just another bad game." No. It's time to hit the panic button in Chapel Hill, as UNC dropped an 84-78 clash with California on Saturday afternoon in Berkeley.
After starting their season 12-1 in non-conference play, North Carolina (14-4, 2-3 ACC) is now losers of consecutive games for the first time this season. The Tar Heels have no issue scoring the ball, but their lack of defense, particularly from outside , is alarming.
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UNC allowed Cal (14-5, 2-4 ACC) to hit 10 first-half threes on Saturday, which led to a 54-37 halftime lead. The Golden Bears finished their victory 14-of-26 from deep, which equates to 54%.
After North Carolina's loss, senior captain Seth Trimble and freshman guard Derek Dixon spoke about their team's lack of first-half defense.
"I think (communication) was some of it," Dixon said via TarHeel247's Noah Weiskopf . "Some of it is just one-on-one defense. (When they) drive, guys got to help, we were leaving guys open. Not talking on screens, stuff like that. Overall, just effort.
"With the amount of threes they made and guys leaving guys wide open, it just can't happen," Dixon continued.
This has been a big issue for the Tar Heels over the past four games. Teams have now made 58 three-pointers against UNC in those games. That's an average of 14.5 a game.
"These last three games, I don't know why we've been so bad defensively," Trimble said. "We know that's not the defensive team that we are; we've shown it. So, I really don't know why."
The Tar Heels finally return home on Wednesday, hosting Notre Dame for a 7 p.m. tip. The Fighting Irish (10-8, 1-4 ACC) are one of the conference's worst offensive teams, so there's a sliver of hope UNC has a bounce-back game.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC allows 54 points, 10 threes in first half at Cal on Saturday
