LOS ANGELES – Elliot Cadeau and Seth Trimble sat on the bench for most of the second half in UNC basketball’s loss to Alabama on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament.
Cadeau and Trimble combined for 16 points, including four 3-pointers, in the first half for the top-seeded Tar Heels (29-8), but combined for nine minutes after halftime in UNC’s 89-87 loss to the Crimson Tide.
With Cadeau and Trimble sidelined, Paxson Wojcik played nine minutes in the second half as one of the primary options off the bench.
A starter in 31 of UNC’s 37 games this season, Cadeau played a season-low 13 minutes. Trimble played nearly 11 minutes, also matching his season low in playing time.
Overall, Cadeau (-10) and Trimble (-7) had the worst plus-minus stats for the Tar Heels. Wojcik led UNC (+9) in his 15 minutes on the floor.
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Following the season-ending defeat, head coach Hubert Davis was asked about the shift in bench minutes for the Tar Heels after halftime.
“The way they were playing us defensively, they were laying off some of our guys, and Pax is somebody that has always been ready when his number is called and somebody that throughout his career has had an ability to be able to shoot the ball from the outside,” Davis said.
Alabama defenders were noticeably sagging off of Cadeau and Trimble, giving them space to shoot rather than allowing them to get into the lane. Trimble finished the season as a 42% shooter from 3-point range and Cadeau was at 19%, with Wojcik at 23.3%.
“With them loading up on Armando (Bacot) in the post and loading up on RJ (Davis) on any type of drives, and then them, I think, even staying more connected to Cormac (Ryan) after the first half that he had, putting in somebody that throughout his career is more proven from the outside would give Armando some more space, RJ more space to drive, and be able to move,” Davis said.
“And I thought Pax did a good job when he was in there.”
UNC had a 15-7 advantage in bench points, but the Tar Heels shot 25% in the second half against Alabama for its third-lowest shooting percentage in an NCAA Tournament half in program history. In addition to the shooting struggles, UNC allowed more than 80 points in eight of their nine losses, including the one that ended the season.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: UNC’s Hubert Davis asked about Tar Heels’ bench minutes after loss
