CBB Fans Say UNC Exposed in Blowout Loss to Cam Spencer, UConn in Jimmy V Classic

There's little doubt that North Carolina is a good basketball team. Whether they have the potential to be a great one and a serious national championship contender was cast into some doubt on Tuesday night.

The No. 5 UConn Huskies beat up on the No. 9 Tar Heels in the Jimmy V. Men's Classic at Madison Square Garden, 87-76, behind Cam Spencer's 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

But this was a team win. UConn out-rebounded the Tar Heels, 42-33. They played better team basketball, with a 25-18 advantage in assists. North Carolina scuffed a number of layups they could have easily made and struggled from the charity stripe (13-of-22).

UConn was favored coming into the game, and Madison Square Garden provided them a bit more of an advantage than a normal neutral court might have. The defending champions looked very, very good.

RJ Davis did his job on the night, putting up 26 points, while Armando Bacot added a double-double (13 points, 13 rebounds). But it wasn't enough, and college basketball fans felt that the Huskies exposed a number of UNC's weaknesses on the night:

North Carolina's utter meltdown last season, ending without a bid in the NCAA tournament, is going to lurk in the background every time they lose this season. The Tar Heels' mental toughness is going to be constantly scrutinized, even if this is a different group.

It's certainly a group that bought itself some benefit of the doubt after solid wins over Arkansas and Tennessee this season. UConn is just a different beast, and it was clear they were operating on a higher plane than these Tar Heels.

Can North Carolina get to that level? The talent is there. But there's plenty of work to be done in Chapel Hill before this team will convince anyone it's a legitimate title contender. A loss in December doesn't make or break a season, but the Tar Heels need to address the weaknesses UConn exposed.