UNC basketball, now 4-3 and searching for answers, trailed by an average of 11.7 points at halftime across its deflating 1-2 showing at this week’s Maui Invitational. The early deficits, appearing to stem from relatively lethargic efforts out of the gates, have put too large of a load on the Tar Heels’ comeback mode.

ALSO READ: Updated Tar Heel Season Stat Leaders Following Letdown in Maui

One would think a tweak or two to the starting lineup is in order, especially when it comes to finding more minutes for freshman forward and projected one-and-done first-round draft pick Drake Powell, one of UNC’s bright spots in Maui.

“Yeah, we do come out flat,” Powell noted following the Tar Heels’ 94-91 overtime loss to the unranked Michigan State Spartans on Wednesday night, “and just put ourselves in a hole into where we’re trying to come back the whole game…”

So, what’s the obvious solution?

It’s Powell, who recorded a team-high 18 points off the bench against the Spartans, tallying only two misses from the field and one turnover.

“I think it’s just the toughness,” Powell opined without pointing any fingers at his teammates. “We’ve got to want to get the 50/50 balls, want to get defensive rebounds, offensive rebounds. We just have to do all of the dirty work. And I think we’ll do that continuing forward.”

Speaking of dirty work, well, that’s where the 6-foot-6 Powell, an extremely chiseled athlete with a go-getter sense of determination on both ends of the floor, appears to excel the most.

“Whatever is asked of me by my coaches, my teammates, I feel like I can do it at a high level,” the 19-year-old former McDonald’s All-American out of nearby Northwood High School (N.C.) said. “I’m just looking forward to the next game.”

Of course, for Drake Powell to set the tone for Hubert Davis’ fourth UNC basketball squad moving forward, he would need to be in the starting lineup.

His absence from that group makes zero sense.

ALSO READ: UNC Head Coach Expresses Uncertainty on What Must Change

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