CHARLOTTE - Failing to close out games has become a common theme for North Carolina.

One can look back at the four-point lead with 3:30 remaining that evaporated at then-No. 1 Kansas inside Allen Fieldhouse. The next occurrence came in Maui, a lead in overtime against Michigan State turned into a 94-91 defeat.

If that’s not enough, Tuesday’s matchup with Florida in the Jumpman Invitational was the smoking gun. And it the most egregious late-game display.

Jalen Washington slammed home a lob from Elliot Cadeau inside the Spectrum Center with 4:03 remaining giving the Tar Heels an 81-77 advantage. It marked UNC’s largest lead on the night, while simultaneously signaling the beginning of the end for the Tar Heels.

Over the game’s final four minutes, North Carolina watched its momentum, along with its lead, vanish, as the Gators outscored the Tar Heels, 13-3, to close out the game in a 90-84 victory.

The Tar Heels attempted just three field goals in that span while going 1-for-3 at the free throw line, including a miss on the front end of a one-and-one by RJ Davis. Add in an untimely turnover in a tie game with 1:26 remaining, and UNC’s end-game execution appeared out of kilter.

“We just gotta value each and every possession. That’s what we gotta do,” said guard Ian Jackson. “We gotta get a shot [up] every time. We can’t turn it over, especially deep down in close games [with] two minutes left.”

Following the out of bounds turnover by Cadeau, Florida finished the game on an 8-0 run, becoming the Tar Heels’ fifth opponent this season to eclipse the 90-point mark.

While many of UNC’s woes were apparent on the offensive end, its propensity to not close out possessions on defense was ultimately the straw that broke the camel’s back.

During their 13-3 run to improve to 11-0 on the season, the Gators’ best offense came off of their own misses. Florida pulled down four offensive rebounds during that stretch leading to eight second-chance points.

Its biggest of the season came with eight seconds remaining. Holding a two point lead, Thomas Haugh pulled down an Alijah Martin miss, forcing the Tar Heels to send him to the free throw line, where he extended the advantage to four with 7.9 seconds left.

“In that moment, they wanted it more,” said guard Seth Trimble.

It was an issue UNC saw coming, but couldn’t stop.

“They’re one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country, so we knew coming in that a huge determining factor for us is that we had to finish the possession, box out, and rebound,” said UNC Head Coach Hubert Davis.

The Gators attempted seven shots down the stretch, more than twice that of the Tar Heels, and more importantly, seemed to relish the opportunity to finish out its first close game of the season.

Florida converted its last eight free throw attempts, and by all measurements, outplayed UNC in every facet in the game’s final minutes.

At 6-5 on the season, the Tar Heels find themselves with their backs against the wall. Another ranked opponent in UCLA awaits on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Even with the repeated blunders down the stretch, Hubert Davis expects his team to get up off of the mat.

“You have a choice, but you really don’t have a choice,” said Davis. “You can stay down, you can point fingers, you can whine and complain, you can make excuses, or you can get your tail back up and step forward and start swinging again.”

That swinging will be needed for a full 40 minutes, particularly in the final four, where UNC has previously stalled out in the plains of Kansas, on the islands of Hawaii, and this time, within its own state’s borders.