Even after loss to Duke, Tar Heels remain confident they can make history in ACC tourney
Roy Williams spoke in a quiet tone Saturday night after North Carolina’s 89-76 loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was a familiar tone, but one that hadn’t been heard in two weeks.
The Tar Heels had won their last three games entering Saturday’s game, and were shooting lights out. They hoped to carry that momentum against Duke.
But that didn’t happen.
They struggled to score what appeared to be easy baskets, and could not slow Duke freshman Vernon Carey after UNC freshman Armando Bacot went out with foul trouble. Carey led Duke with 25 points and was 9-for-11 from the free throw line.
“It’s frustrating, but that’s what it’s been quite a bit this season,” Williams said after the game.
Frustrating might actually be the best phrase to describe this season. The Tar Heels have lost 18 games this year, the second-most in program history, and the most in any year Williams has coached, whether that was at Kansas or UNC.
The Tar Heels have dealt with a number of injuries to key players, and almost lost senior Brandon Robinson, again. He was hit in the chin in the first half, and needed to be evaluated for a concussion. He cleared concussion protocol and returned in the second half.
So inside UNC’s locker room, after the game, the Tar Heels were just ready to move on to next week. That’s when the ACC tournament begins. When asked would they treat the ACC tournament as a fresh start, Williams said, “Yes. Yes...Yes.”
He seemed relieved at the thought of it.
“We’re 0-0,” UNC junior forward Garrison Brooks said. “That’s how I look at it. We still have a chance to win. Everybody starts at 0-0.”
While that’s true, the Tar Heels’ route to the championship will be more arduous than it has been in years past. In 2018-19, the Tar Heels entered as a 2-seed and had a double-bye.
This season, they’ll enter as the 14-seed and will play on Tuesday, after finishing tied for last place in the conference.
That means UNC (13-18, 6-14 ACC) has to win five games in five days to get into the NCAA tournament. No other ACC team has done that.
The most well-known team to win five games in five days was the 2011 UConn Huskies, which won the Big East tournament. That team, however, was led by three future NBA players, including Kemba Walker, and went on to win a national title.
That scenario seems unlikely to occur for this UNC team, which has lost its 18 games in a variety of ways. On Saturday, the Tar Heels never led the Blue Devils.
The Tar Heels cut the Blue Devils’ lead to 1 point with a little more than 11 minutes remaining, and 2 points, two minutes later. But they never got closer than that.
Duke hit four 3-pointers in the final nine minutes and went on a 19-8 run to extend its lead to 13 points. In UNC’s wins over Syracuse and Wake Forest, the Tar Heels made 21 combined 3-pointers.
Against Duke on Saturday, the Tar Heels shot 40.8 percent from the floor as a team and made only four 3-pointers.
Brooks scored 26 points, but was 9 of 22 from the floor. And freshman guard Cole Anthony, who was playing some of his best basketball recently, finished with 9 points on 4 of 14 shooting.
“My dad told me the rims were soft,” Anthony said. “I don’t think I got one friendly bounce today.”
Those type of shooting performances won’t win the Tar Heels the ACC tournament, no matter how well they attack the offensive glass. And their defense in this game — the Heels gave up 15 fast break points in the first half — won’t either.
“We’re not done yet,” Anthony said. “I think as a team we’re playing well. We’re really gelling together. Everyone is finding their spots and choosing their spots wisely and we’re getting better as a unit.”
UNC plays Virginia Tech in the first round of the ACC tournament at 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The Tar Heels lost to the Hokies in their only meeting 79-77 in double overtime on Jan. 22. Anthony, who was still recovering from a knee procedure, did not play in that game.
The first time UNC lost to Duke, it played its worst game of the season against Wake Forest and lost by 17 points. But the Tar Heels say that won’t happen this time.
“At this point man, it’s do or die for us,” Robinson said. “We’ve got to focus and lock in because nobody wants the season to end. It’s do or die starting Tuesday.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2020 at 11:16 PM.
