North Carolina is back on the floor Saturday, when the Tar Heels welcome Pitt to Chapel Hill.
The momentum they had built in league play stalled earlier this week in a road loss at Miami, a defeat that ended their five-game ACC win streak. The setback came with an even bigger blow: star forward Caleb Wilson went down with a fractured left hand.
Wilson is not expected to return until the ACC Tournament, making Saturday’s matchup with Pitt the first glimpse of what North Carolina will look like without its focal point.
The Tar Heels now have to sort out a new identity on the fly. Pitt arrives in town in the midst of a difficult season at 9-16 overall and 2-10 in the ACC, but the Panthers still represent a test for a reshuffled Carolina rotation.
With that being said, here’s what to expect from the Tar Heels with Wilson being out for the next few weeks.
What will UNC basketball’ starting lineup look like without Caleb Wilson?
If I had to take an educated guess, this would be the starting lineup:
Point Guard – Derek Dixon
Wings – Seth Trimble,Luka Bogavac,
Frontcourt – Jarin Stevenson, Henri Veesaar
Henri Veesaar as the No. 1 Scorer
Center Henri Veesaar, who is averaging 16.4 points per game and nine rebounds per game. His numbers are going to increase for Veesaar in the coming weeks as he will be the main focal point of the offense with Wilson being out.
As a 44.8% shooter from 3-point range, Veesaar can also open things up for perimeter players as a big man capable of stretching the floor. With Wilson out, all eyes will be on Veesaar’s production in the post, but UNC’s frontcourt depth wasn’t great before Wilson’s injury.
Jarin Stevenson will need to raise level of play for Tar Heels
In 11 ACC games, Jarin Stevenson is averaging eight points and 3.3 rebounds as a 6-foot-10, 215-pound forward as its sixth man. He has been North Carolina’s most reliable perimeter threat in league play, hitting 40.7% of his 3-point attempts. With Wilson limited at Miami, Stevenson stepped in with 13 points and six rebounds, and he scored 17 in the win at Virginia, showing he can spark the Tar Heels’ offense when called upon.
As UNC navigates a thin frontcourt, his ability to slide between spots and anchor different lineup combinations becomes even more important.
Small Ball Lineup
Look for North Carolina to lean on a four-guard look, pairing that smaller group with either Stevenson or Veesaar at center. During the offseason, Hubert Davis deliberately stocked the roster with longer guards to shore up last year’s rebounding issues and give the rotation more flexibility. Derek Dixon, Luka Bogavac, Johnathan Powell and Jaydon Young all stand 6-foot-4 or taller.
In those smaller lineups, the key components of those lineups will be Powell and Seth Trimble.
Powell fits the profile of a modern 3-and-D perimeter player, capable of spacing the floor with the jumper while hounding opponents on the defensive end. At 6-foot-6, the sophomore is also a candidate to slide up and handle minutes as an undersized power forward. He finished with five points, five rebounds and two steals in the win at Miami.
Trimble, who is averaging 13.8 points per game, will help the Tar Heels push the pace, play more spread-out offensively and lean heavily on its perimeter shooting. Trimble has excelled all season in helping push the pace and it was pivotal in Carolina’s wins over Duke and Virginia.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: How Tar Heels adjust to life without Caleb Wilson