Every college basketball season has its version of this year’s Murray State Racers, the team that comes from nowhere to leap into the national rankings. Unfortunately, that sword cuts both ways, and for every unheralded team making a splash on the national scene, there’s often another program that entered the season with lofty hopes only to see them crushed.

Which teams have underachieved the most this year? On the fringes of the discussion, absurdly, are the No. 8 North Carolina Tar Heels.

Even that imposing ranking is a severe letdown for a squad piled high with future NBA talent. The Heels have already lost to UNLV (in a de facto road game) and at Florida State, and Dexter Strickland’s season-ending knee injury might be the last straw where UNC’s once-soaring national title hopes are concerned.

Still, it could be much worse for Roy Williams’ squad. Take a look at this collection of teams with high expectations who have fallen even farther in 2011-12.

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