The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Tar Heels may end up on outside looking in
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Roughly 20 minutes had passed since his North Carolina team had lost a grind-it-out battle against rival Duke, and Armando Bacot had taken his customary seat behind a small table with his back to a wall-mounted television.
The questions started coming from reporters surrounding him, probing what had gone wrong. But they weren’t just about one game. They were about an entire season, one that has seen an experienced team open with a No. 1 ranking after a magical ride to the national-title game, only to close the regular season in precarious standing for a return to the NCAA Tournament.
“Could you have ever thought that you’d be in this position?” one reporter asked.
“No,” Bacot said, “but I’m here.”
The Tar Heels (19-12) are flirting with becoming the first team to open at No. 1 in the preseason Associated Press poll and miss the NCAA Tournament since its expansion to 64 teams in 1985. They’ve struggled to make outside shots or win close games, building a postseason resume filled with far more missed opportunities than high-end wins.
And that has them headed to this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament likely needing multiple victories — and maybe nothing short of the title — to ensure they hear their name called on Selection Sunday. They open play Wednesday as a No. 7 seed in a second-round game against the Louisville-boston College winner.
There are multiple answers for what has gone wrong.
Second-year coach Hubert Davis has said his team looked weighed down by some of the high expectations to repeat last year’s run, which included spoiling retiring Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game at Duke and then handing him the final loss of his career in the Final Four.
“We knew since the start of the season,” guard R.J. Davis said. “Just the expectations that were being upholded, just out there in the media, just the noise . ... Sometimes you put too much stress on yourself and you try to meet those expectations (instead of ) just going out there and just playing freely.”
Some problems are obvious, such as poor 3-point shooting (30.9%), which has made it difficult to space the floor for driving lanes or Bacot inside.
But there also have been problems closing out games, a surprise for a team that returned four starters.
Take Saturday’s 62-57 loss to the Blue Devils. UNC missed multiple shots for the lead or to tie late, the last being Caleb Love’s leaning 3-pointer down 60-57 with 8 seconds left. Yet both Hubert Davis and first-year Duke coach Jon Scheyer mentioned another telling sequence after UNC had hit back-to-back 3-pointers to take a 49-45 lead.
First UNC defender Puff Johnson allowed left-handed Duke wing Mark Mitchell to drive to his strong hand and score on a layup. Then Duke reinserted Dereck Lively II, a defensive-minded big man. Almost immediately, Duke point guard Tyrese Proctor saw Lively pick-and-rolling freely to the basket for a lob and tying dunk that erased momentum.
“I’ve talked to you guys all year and to the team about the importance of discipline and details,” Davis said. “That’s a perfect example of discipline and details from a defensive standpoint.”
Now the Tar Heels can only look forward to what’s left. They are 1-9 in Quadrant 1 games, the lone win coming last week against No. 13 Virginia at home. The losses included a four-overtime setback against now-no. 2 Alabama.