Erratic North Carolina Tar Heels Add To List of Rough Road Woes

The New Year is almost always characterized by a sense of hope, renewal, boldness, and promise.

Unfortunately for the North Carolina Tar Heels (11-4), 2010 began with another loss and, more significantly, the most distressing sign yet.

UNC’s most recent loss came at the hands of the College of Charleston (8-6).  Overall, the Heels played tentative, discordant, careless basketball—to coach Roy Williams’ great dismay and frustration.  Upon the their defeat, Williams characterized his squad’s state as "about as low as we can be right now."

The College of Charleston apparently saves rare wins against powerhouse opponents for North Carolina, as the Cougars defeated the Tar Heels for the first time since Dec. 5, 1998; the Cougars’ last win against a top 25 program was over then-third ranked UNC, 66-64.

Even College of Charleston coach Bobby Cremins predicted the most recent matchup as
"one of those typical 'Great effort but Carolina is going to win by 12,' kind of games."

North Carolina can take solace, if any, from the fact that its loss came on the road.  However, several discouraging signs may indicate a recurring problem:

1. The Heels squandered an 11-point lead down the stretch after trailing for most of the game.

2. UNC outrebounded the College of Charleston 56-36.

3. North Carolina’s bench outscored Charleston 24-2.

4. The Heels shot 24-of-34 from the free throw line to the Cougars’ 3-of-6 showing.

5. UNC had one three-pointer in the entire game while Charleston shot 13-of-32.

6. North Carolina’s backcourt of Larry Drew II and Dexter Strickland combined for a dismal 5-of-21 shooting performance.

7. The Heels loss occurred at an away game, but the latest site was a small, intimate environment in a seemingly trivial, non-conference matchup.

8. North Carolina’s performance highlighted glaring defensive weaknesses that still exist in their game.

9. UNC still lacks poise, intelligence, and a sense of urgency—a trait of a young, inexperienced team—to execute crucial plays and remain competitive down the stretch.

10. Marcus Ginyard, one of two leading seniors, remains on the bench with injury.

Needless to say, the Tar Heels have a history of stunning losses—although most UNC losses fall into this category because of the powerhouse school’s successful history.

The following 10 stunners in chronological order are part of this history:

1. George Mason 65-UNC 60 (Mar. 19, 2006 ) : Late-game cold streak sank the Heels in NCAA tournament play.

2. Santa Clara 77-UNC 66 (Nov. 19, 2004) : In the season opener, the then-preseason No. 1 UNC played without Raymond Felton (two-game suspension) and lost in the Maui Invitational.

3. Hampton 77-UNC 69 (Nov. 16, 2001) : First home game foreshadowed North Carolina’s worst season in history, as the Tar Heels—then coached by Matt Doherty—finished with a 8-20 overall record (4-12 ACC). 

4. Weber State 76-UNC 74 (Mar. 12, 1999) : Sluggish, inconsistent play combined with Weber State’s Harold Arceneaux’s stellar 36-point performance ended the Heels’ season prematurely and marked UNC’s first opening-game NCAA tournament loss in 19 years.

5. Vanderbilt 78-UNC 76 (Dec. 5, 1987) : Unranked Commodores beat then-No. 1 Tar Heels in Nashville.

6. Indiana 72-UNC 68 (Mar. 22, 1984) : No. 1 North Carolina lost in Atlanta, marking Michael Jordan’s swan song. 

7. Penn 72-UNC 71 (Mar. 11, 1979) : Mismatched inter-conference matchup had the Heels favored by nine points.

8. San Francisco 68-UNC 64 (Mar. 11, 1978) : The Dons shocked and awed the college basketball world with a staggering upset of the Tar Heels in the NCAA tournament first round.

9. William & Mary 78-UNC 75 (Dec. 7, 1977) : The Tar Heels were ranked No. 2, undefeated, and had successive wins over Duke and NC State in the now-defunct Big Four Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.

10. Navy 76-UNC 63 (Mar. 10, 1959) : The unranked Midshipmen beat Frank McGuire’s ninth-ranked squad in the Big Apple.

With tonight’s conference opener against the Virginia Tech Hokies, North Carolina must avoid repeating mistakes from its game against the College of Charleston to avoid more stunning losses—this time during a significant ACC schedule.