UNC Basketball: Tar Heels Must Use Duke Meltdown as Learning Experience

North Carolina dominated Duke for most of the second half on Wednesday night. The Tar Heels then imploded in the final two minutes and were ultimately defeated by a buzzer-beating three from Duke freshman Austin Rivers.

The game was an instant classic, one filled with great play and dramatic intrigue.

The Blue Devils were aided late in the game by Tar Heels' sloppiness, though—something that cannot happen if they want to make a legitimate run at the national championship.

The Tar Heels have, without question, some of the best talent in the country. Roy Williams' team is the highest scoring and best rebounding group in the nation. They spread the ball around well and have scorers both under the basket and on the perimeter.

The only problem the Tar Heels truly have is bench production and consistency.

Their fourth loss of the season was the second one-point loss they've suffered; the other was Kentucky. The blowout loss they suffered at the hands of Florida State is something they'll never forget, and now, they can add this to that list too.

If the Tar heels are serious about winning the ACC and possibly an NCAA championship, they need to use this game as a learning experience. They're going to see Duke at least one more time, at Cameron Indoor Stadium no less, and could very easily see them again in the ACC tournament.

This game cannot be the undoing of the Tar Heels. It needs to be the turnaround.