UNC goes home early in the NCAA tournament for a second consecutive year. So what’s next?
North Carolina junior wing Brandon Robinson felt this team was special. He told everyone he knew, even when they laughed at him. So when it all came to an end Friday night against Auburn in the Sweet 16, he was at a loss for words.
“It’s not much to remember man. I’m going to remember a loss,” he said. “It’s tough.”
The Tar Heels’ flaws a year ago were noticeable. They were inexperienced in the post and struggled at times from behind the 3-point line on their way to a second-round loss to Texas A&M last year.
This North Carolina team, though, was good enough to win it all. The Tar Heels won 16 of their last 18 games before the NCAA tournament. The two losses were against Duke and Virginia, both No. 1 seeds. The Tar Heels were one of the hottest teams in college basketball and were among the favorites to win the title.
Until they ran into Auburn.
After hitting 13 3-pointers to knock off Kansas in the second round, Auburn followed it up with an even better performance against the Tar Heels. The Tigers hit 17 3-pointers, the most against North Carolina with Roy Williams as coach.
On-ball defense was an issue earlier in the year, and it reappeared against Auburn. The Tigers’ guards were too quick, and the Tar Heels, normally a faster team, couldn’t keep up.
North Carolina finished the season 29-7, one win shy of what would have been the 14th 30-win season in program history.
How it began and ended
The Tar Heels came into the season ranked No. 8 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. With three returning seniors and two McDonald’s all-American freshmen, they were expected to compete for a title.
It was a rough start.
The Tar Heels opened a disappointing 12-4. They lost to Texas on a neutral court by three, to Michigan on the road by 17, Kentucky on a neutral court by eight, and Louisville at home by 21 points — the worst home loss of the Williams era.
Williams challenged his team publicly and privately. The players responded.
The Tar Heels won 14 of their last 15 regular season games, earning a share of the ACC regular season title with Virginia before losing to Duke by one point in the ACC tournament semifinals.
Just like the regular season, though, the NCAA tournament started rough. No. 1 seeded North Carolina trailed No. 16-seeded Iona by five heading into halftime before coming back to win 88-73.
The Tar Heels had little trouble with No. 9-seeded Washington, winning 81-59.
After Auburn beat North Carolina 97-80, ending their season, what’s next for the Tar Heels?
White and Little to the draft?
The Tar Heels could lose as many as four starters and their sixth man from this season’s team. Kenny Williams, Cam Johnson and Luke Maye, all seniors, have exhausted their eligibility.
Freshman Nassir Little, who many thought was a one-and-done before the season, is a projected lottery pick. Little, who averaged 9.8 points per game and 4.6 rebounds, is projected to go No. 7 overall, according to NBAdraft.net. He said he will sit down with his family and make an official decision around the NCAA national championship game.
“April 8th, I’ll probably have a good idea then of whether I’ll stay or go,” Little told The News & Observer Friday.
White, a 6-5, 185-pound point guard, did not talk about when he will make a decision. But in February, he told the N&O that he would address it after the season. Over the course of the year, White’s draft stock has risen tremendously. He is projected to go No. 5 overall, according to NBAdraft.net.
White averaged 16.1 points per game and 4.1 assists this season. He had three 30-point games, including a career-high 34 against Syracuse.
New players?
If Little and White do leave, the Tar Heels will be without their top five leading scorers from the 2018-19 season.
The Tar Heels currently have the 48th ranked recruiting class in the country, with Armando Bacot, a 6-10, 240-pound forward and McDonald’s all-American, and Jeremiah Francis, a three-star point guard from Pickerington, Ohio.
But the ranking will change if the Tar Heels land five-star combo guard Cole Anthony. Anthony won the McDonald’s all-American game MVP last week. He is interested in North Carolina, Wake Forest, Miami, Oregon, Notre Dame and Georgetown.
The loss of Williams and Maye will likely be felt most. Williams, who was not highly recruited coming out of high school, became the team’s vocal leader this past season. He was also its defensive stopper.
Maye, a former preferred walk-on, became one of the best rebounders in program history. His 750 rebounds the last two seasons were the most in a two-year stretch for any UNC player.
The two seniors were a part of a class that won 121 games, made it to four NCAA tournaments, three Sweet 16’s, two Final Fours, and won one national championship.
“When I think of Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Cam — only had Cam for two years, but man, that’s what every coach should love to have,” Roy Williams said.
This story was originally published March 30, 2019 at 4:45 PM.
