Nivar's Career Night Not Enough as UNC Season Ends vs. UConn in Sweet 16
North Carolina lost to No. 1 UConn on Friday, but the sustained success for UNC in back-to-back years shows growth.
Nivar's Career Night Not Enough as UNC Season Ends vs. UConn in Sweet 16
- Thread starter CadeShoemaker
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Nivar showed at lot of senior leadership in the game, it was the young players who will have to grow and show up next season. There were instances where the young players were dribbling into traps and losing the ball, and throwing unwise passes. It's hard to win any game with 24 T/O's, no matter whom you are playing. But to their credit the young players had an opportunity to play on the big stage, and pretty sure CB will have things which they will need to work on over the summer. Showing more composure and toughness.
There were certain issues that plagued us at time all year on offense. You know them. Missed layups, free throws, trying to dribble thru set defenses and creating turnovers. I also think a lack of team physicality/athleticism hurt us against some opponents, especially when the officials let it go. I feel like several of those issues can be fixed with hard work by the players. Hopefully the addition of Harpring and Bofia can shore up some others. But I still think there needs to be some roster churn to address the physical side of things. Sorry for the thesis here but I am in a reflective mood.
This is why I keep saying we need another true PG for next year along with an elite 5. Zam Jones would be a perfect fit. If you look at the teams that have made it to the elite 8, they all have strong PG play. We missed RK. LG is not a true point guard. SB is a PG but she is not elite. Her skill level is not good enough for the P5 level. She will never start, she will get very little playing time and that is the bottom line. She is a wonderful person and an excellent teammate, but if you are trying to win games, she is not the one. Just stating the facts. The other factor is we do not know if RK will be back at 100% next year. Someone had said it best. It seems like RK and KM are very similar with those knee / leg issues. CB did all that she could to rest RK, held her out, with the hope she would be available during the NCAAT and that just did not happen. If I was CB, you need a back up plan just in case RK is not able to play next year, you have to go out and get another top notch PG because of the uncertainty.
Jriv23 get your point about a true PG, and it appears that RK will be making a decision over the summer on whether she take the path which KM did. It appears that CB is going all out for a top PG in the class of 2027 having offered all the top rated PG's in the class. One of them will pop for Carolina with the available minutes, along with potential of starting.
Wish list : Kaleena Smith , Jezelle Banks, De'Andra Minor.
Wish list : Kaleena Smith , Jezelle Banks, De'Andra Minor.
I wish we knew more about RK's condition. If she cannot go for next season we are going to need to find
a strong dribbler in the portal or develop one over the summer possibly Nyla B or Taliyah if possible.
Plus Lanie and Elina can both get stronger.
Last thought if they called fouls like they should have been called LG and EA would have turned the ball
over like they did.
a strong dribbler in the portal or develop one over the summer possibly Nyla B or Taliyah if possible.
Plus Lanie and Elina can both get stronger.
Last thought if they called fouls like they should have been called LG and EA would have turned the ball
over like they did.
Both of these players have trouble when they are defended by a more quicker and athletic guards, tarboy. LG got ripped by Oluchi Okananwa during the Maryland game. The sad thing about it was it was a one on one situation in our backcourt. She took the ball away from her and scored. LG did not even tried to block or contest the shot. She just accepted it and trotted back like it was okay. There is a reason why CB went to IN to run the point during the Maryland game and UCONN game. CB does not trust LG running the point, and I do not either. LG also got ripped by HH and the Louisville guards when she tried to run the point. These are just the facts. She is more of a 2 on the college level and not a 1 like I and Kingj213 keep saying. The facts are there. We need to go after Zam Jones as an insurance policy for next year. She is the best PG in the portal right now. She is local and her family and friends are not to far from UNC. I do not know why she is leaving NC State. That is a big surprised. This girl can ball, she is athletic, she can create who own shot, etc. Here is her stat line for this past year.
In the 2025-26 season, Sophomore guard Zamareya "Zam" Jones was a standout performer for NC State, averaging approximately 14.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting around 42% from the field. She notably scored a career-high 30 points in the 2026 NCAA tournament first round against Tennessee.
In the 2025-26 season, Sophomore guard Zamareya "Zam" Jones was a standout performer for NC State, averaging approximately 14.9 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting around 42% from the field. She notably scored a career-high 30 points in the 2026 NCAA tournament first round against Tennessee.
As has been mentioned not sure if Carolina can afford Jones, pretty sure she would demand a pretty high price. Unless family ties are important to her to remain in North Carolina?
I think it was Banks who was something of a challenge for Harpring a year ago. I really like her quickness and change of pace.
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