We’re 10 games into a season that optimistic Tar Heel fans hope will go the full 40 (31 regular season games + 3 ACCT + 6 NCAAT). Through the season’s opening quarter, Carolina’s adjusted defensive efficiency places 11th in the country– a slight drop from last year’s final ranking of 6th. This post will try to shine some light on which UNC defenders are already in mid-season form, and which ones are still trying to shake off that early-season rust.
Kendall Marshall
| 2011 (all) |
2012 (1st 10 games) |
|
| FG% All | 37.6 | 40.0 |
| 3Pt% All. | 26.5 | 35.3 |
| FTA Rate | 18.8 | 13.3 |
| TS% All. | 47.0 | 51.3 |
| Pts. All. / 40 | 10.7 | 14.6 |
| Deflections / 40 | 4.17 | 6.13 |
| Forced TOs /40 | 2.56 | 2.30 |
| Off. Fouls Drawn / 40 | 0.22 | 0.00 |
| Denies / 40 | 0.91 | 0.77 |
| DR% | 7.6 | 7.5 |
| Stop % | 58.9 | 53.8 |
| %Possessions | 15.5 | 17.5 |
| Def. On-Court/Off-Court | +2.1 | -8.3 |
Marshall, now firmly entrenched as a starter, is being game-planned against and attacked like one. Teams are challenging him more on the defensive end, hoping to exploit his relative lack of lateral quickness. After being involved (from a defensive charting perspective) in 15.5% of defensive possessions while on the court last season, that number has jumped to 17.5% this year. That, in conjunction with a drop in Stop% from 58.9 to 53.8, has resulted in Marshall allowing 14.6 points / 40– up from 10.7 as a freshman. Part of the reason for Marshall’s lower Stop% might involve some tactical decisions by Roy Williams. Marshall saw significant defensive minutes against both Jordan Taylor and Casper Ware– the types of assignments that might be increasingly handled by Strickland as the games get more and more important.