UNC’s disappointing season comes to an end with ACC tournament loss to Syracuse
North Carolina lost in what turned out to be the final game of the 2020 ACC tournament. And regardless what happens for everyone else, the Tar Heels’ season is definitely over.
Syracuse dominated UNC in the second round at Greensboro Coliseum on Wednesday night. The Orange took a 21-point lead into halftime and never looked back, winning 81-53.
“First time in my life I felt kind of helpless,” UNC coach Roy Williams said. “I’ve lost before. Jiminy Christmas, we’ve had great teams that have lost before. But tonight wasn’t much fun.”
On Thursday, the ACC announced that it was canceling the rest of the tournament due to the coronavirus outbreak. There has been no official word if the NCAA tournament will go on as planned.
On Wednesday, Syracuse guard Elijah Hughes scored 27 points. UNC junior forward Garrison Brooks had 18 points.
The Tar Heels’ season was one of the most disappointing in program history. Plagued by injuries to key players, and poor offense, the Tar Heels finished 14-19. Its 19 losses were the second-most losses in program history.
The last time UNC missed the postseason was in 2002, when the Tar Heels finished 8-20. That was also the last time UNC had a losing season.
The Tar Heels’ road to the NCAA tournament was already going to be difficult. As a 14-seed, its lowest seed in program history, UNC had to win five games in five days, something no other ACC team has done.
UNC appeared to be catching fire at the right time, having won four of their last five games, which included a 92-79 road win over Syracuse on Feb. 29 and seemed poised to reach the quarterfinals. But Wednesday night, the Tar Heels did not look like the same team that had won those games. Syracuse got out to an early 7-0 lead in the first 70 seconds of the game. Two of the Tar Heels’ starters — Brandon Robinson and Leaky Black — got into early foul trouble, and had to sit much of the first half.
That allowed the Orange to take advantage when those players had to sit. Both Robinson and Black have been critical for UNC. Black because of his defense, and Robinson because of his 3-point shooting.
Robinson scored 17 points and was 5-of-6 from beyond the 3-point in the Tar Heels’ 78-56 win over Virginia Tech on Tuesday.
But he played sparingly in the first half with foul trouble. Robinson finished with 4 points, and was 0 of 3 from 3.
“Frustrated. Upset,” Robinson said, when asked to describe his feelings. “It’s hard to describe.”
Freshman guard Cole Anthony, who was averaging a team-high 19.1 points per game, also struggled against Syracuse’s zone defense. He finished with 5 points on 2 of 10 shooting.
It could be his last game of his college career. He is a projected lottery pick in the 2020 NBA draft and has a decision to make.
Brooks, whose streak of scoring 20 points, came to an end Wednesday, said the locker room was hurt.
“It sounds crazy, but I didn’t want it to end,” Brooks said of the season. His eyes were read. “I never wanted our season to end. It’s tough to deal with.”
The Tar Heels trailed by only 4 points with 6:47 left in the first half. But they went through a five-minute scoring drought, and allowed Syracuse to go on a 19-2 run, and went into halftime with a 43-22 lead. The Tar Heels had never come back after being down by 20 points this season.
And they didn’t do it on Wednesday, either.
And-1
These Tar Heels never quit, but they just didn’t have it on Wednesday. They missed easy shots and contested ones. They shot 33 percent from the floor and 13 percent from 3.
Personal foul
The Tar Heels carved up Syracuse’s zone in a 92-79 win on Feb. 29 at the Carrier Dome. They finished with a season-high 11 3-pointers. But they had no such success on Wednesday. They were 2 of 16 from 3.
In case you missed it
Wednesday night’s game was the last game that will be played in front of fans. The ACC announced on Wednesday afternoon that it would close its remaining games to spectators in an attempt to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which is caused by the coronavirus.
Making sense of the numbers
0: The Tar Heels had won nine consecutive games against the Orange entering Wednesday’s second-round game. But that streak was snapped.
28: The number of free throws the Orange attempted.
28: The 28-point margin was the largest margin of defeat for UNC in ACC tournament history, and this season. The previous high was a 26-point loss to Duke in 2001.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 11:26 PM.
