‘We might be the unluckiest team you’ve ever seen.’ Tar Heels devastated after UVA loss.
When the ball left the hands of Virginia’s Tomas Woldetensae, Christian Keeling remembers being optimistic. He figured the Virginia guard would miss the three-point attempt.
The way North Carolina’s season had gone, something had to go right for them, he said.
“I said, ‘OK, maybe we can catch a break,” Keeling said.
But just as shots did against Duke, Clemson, Boston College and Virginia Tech, Woldetensae’s shot went in right before the buzzer, to beat the Tar Heels 64-62 and give UNC its 15th loss of the season.
“When he made it, I was heartbroken, again,” said Keeling, who finished with 11 points.
UNC lost to Duke 98-96 on Feb. 8 after Wendell Moore hit a buzzer-beating shot in overtime. And to Boston College 71-70 on Feb. 1, after Jared Hamilton hit two free throws with 17 seconds left.
The difference between the game against Virginia and the loss to Duke, in particular, was that the Tar Heels didn’t make a mistake. Keeling made three consecutive free throws to put the Tar Heels up by one point with 10 seconds left.
Faced with the same situation against Duke last week, UNC missed 5 of 10 free throws in the final 71 seconds.
But Woldetensae just hit a clutch shot, and there was little the Tar Heels could do about it.
“We might be the most unlucky team you’ve ever seen,” said UNC freshman guard Cole Anthony, who was wearing a bandage wrapped around his head after being hit with an elbow in the second half.
Anthony might be right.
UNC (10-15, 3-11 ACC) has now lost five games after the opposing team either hit a game-tying shot to send it to overtime, or a game-winning shot to win it.
UNC also has dealt with a number of injuries. Seven players have missed at least one game this season with an injury. While freshman forward Armando Bacot did not miss time after spraining his ankle in December, he was hobbled the next few games. He finished with 8 points and 16 rebounds against Virginia.
Garrison Brooks, who has a scratched cornea in his right eye, also has not missed time. But he’s had to play with protective goggles. He scored a team-high 20 points, and was 9 of 14 from the floor.
“Teams make plays down the stretch, something we haven’t done this year,” Brooks said. “It’s tough, but we’re going to keep fighting through it.”
Motivated after Wake game
Four days, after being blown out on the road against Wake Forest, the Tar Heels played well on Saturday. Brooks and junior guard Andrew Platek said they were motivated, and aware that they allowed the loss to Duke to affect their game against Wake. They didn’t want to let that affect them against Virginia. Against the Cavaliers, the Tar Heels shot 50 percent from the floor for only the third time this season.
But the 10 first-half turnovers may have cost them the game. Other than that, UNC outplayed the Wahoos.
While Virginia only scored eight points off those turnovers, the Tar Heels took four fewer shots than the Cavaliers. That means UNC, which typically takes more shots than its opponent, had less opportunities to score.
The Tar Heels also left Woldetensae, Virginia’s best 3-point shooter, open a few times.
His last one was just a good move. Woldetensae finished 6 of 10 from behind the 3-point line. The Cavaliers were 9 of 21 as a team and 6 of 11 in the second half.
Williams said it’s been a “devastating season” for the Tar Heels. With six games left and a 3-11 ACC record, they will finish the regular season under .500 in the conference for the first time since 2010.
“It’s gut check time on you, and there’s no question I’ve never felt in any year I’ve coached the way I feel right now,” Williams said. “That’s life and you have to go on with it.”
The Tar Heels have a quick turnaround. On Monday, they travel to Notre Dame, which lost to Duke 94-60 on Saturday. UNC beat Notre Dame 76-65 in the season-opener behind Anthony’s 34 points.
But things have changed since then. That was early in the season, when most thought the Tar Heels had a chance to finish among the top teams in the ACC. Now, after 15 losses, the Tar Heels are dead last in the conference, and won’t get an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. The only way now they can get in is to win the ACC tournament.
But as Williams has said in many other press conferences, he said the Tar Heels won’t quit on the season.
“We’ve got to just keep coming back, keep coming back, keep coming back,” Williams said, his voice raspy as he fought a cold. “I don’t know if my message is very good or not, but that’s what I believe in.”
UNC at Notre Dame
When: 7 p.m., Monday
Where: Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Indiana
Watch: ESPN
This story was originally published February 16, 2020 at 12:37 AM.
