How technology is shaping UNC’s halftime adjustments

1 week ago 2

There have been constant changes in college sports, especially in basketball, with NIL and the transfer portal reshaping rosters every year. Those trends are new. The use of technology is not.

In football, coaches routinely lean on tablets to review the previous drive or play — a familiar sight with UNC football coach Bill Belichick constantly studying his iPad on the sideline, something he also did when he was with the New England Patriots. Now, North Carolina is doing something similar on the hardwood.

While it’s harder to use them during live action, the Tar Heels rely on iPads at halftime of every game to get a clearer picture of what’s happening — how they’re being defended and what they’re doing right and wrong on the defensive end. Head coach Hubert Davis values the tablets because his players can see for themselves what is unfolding on the floor.

"I'm a visual learner, and I think a lot of our guys are. If they see it, I think they can process it better than just telling them," Davis said Monday at the Smith Center, as he met with the media ahead of 12th-ranked Carolina's home game against Florida State on Tuesday night.

With the NCAA allowing in-game tablets, Carolina is taking full advantage, and Davis is using the technology as much as he can.

"Yeah, we are," Davis said when asked how often they use it now. "One, I think it's important to use it. One of the things when I was in the NBA, there were a lot of coaches that we used to watch film at halftime. So at the beginning of the year, I talked to the staff and said this is something that I want to use because I think it can help."

A Player's Perspective

Forward Caleb Wilson is one player who has already benefited.

Against ECU last week, Wilson turned the ball over four times in the first half alone. At halftime, he grabbed a tablet and studied the clips to better understand what the Pirates were doing to bother him.

"I turned the ball over way too much in the first half, because I didn't look before I was going," Wilson said. "I watched on film at halftime when I got the tablet. They were always doubling from the baseline because they know I'm just going to spin off because I do it every single time because nobody can guard that. ... I just really be learning, honestly."

For North Carolina, the iPads are less about gadgets and more about giving players another way to learn.

In an era when NIL deals and the transfer portal dominate the conversation, UNC is leaning on a simpler edge: helping its guys see the game more clearly. Whether it’s a freshman forward cutting down turnovers or a veteran guard adjusting to a new coverage, the Tar Heels are using technology to sharpen habits, not replace them — one halftime clip at a time.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions

This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Tar Heels using iPads to sharpen halftime adjustments

Read Entire Article