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CHAPEL HILL – North Carolina closed out its regular season with a 62- 57 loss to Duke. And while the Tar Heels were competitive, a common theme throughout the season reared its head to bite the Heels yet again.
Carolina’s inability to close out games has been a consistent challenge for the former No.1 team in college basketball, and the Blue Devils were the latest team to take advantage of UNC’s late-game flaws.
Out of Carolina’s 12 losses in the regular season, seven of them came after the Tar Heels held a multiple possession second-half lead with an opportunity to put its foot on the opponents’ throat, but ultimately failed to do so.
In ACC play, UNC lost two games to Pittsburgh in which the Heels held six-point leads in the second half. Without Armando Bacot, Carolina led 37-31 and 45-40 before losing control against Virginia in Charlottesville.
Inside PNC arena, the Heels held a 54-48 lead over NC State but still lost. This doesn’t include the Miami game, where the Tar Heels played an even first half with the Hurricanes before a lackluster second half performance, it also doesn’t include the first Duke game, when a Pete Nance jumper with 3:58 tied the game at 57 in a 63-57 loss in Durham.
During UNC’s senior night, a Caleb Love three capped off a 13-2 scoring run giving the Heels a 49-45 lead forcing a Blue Devils timeout. But, like many times this season, Carolina allowed the opposition to respond with a run of its own, not allowing UNC to take control of the game.
“We take the four-point lead and we give Mark Mitchell a drive to his left for a layup,” UNC Coach Hubert Davis said following the loss to Duke on Saturday night. “Then the next possession we gave a lob to Lively… I would say it was consistent with the close losses we suffered this year.
“I felt like it was very similar to a number of our games. When we took the four-point lead in the second half, I think it's been a consistent thing all year where in that time, where it's a great opportunity to extend it, there've been a lot of times this year where we haven’t been able to do it.”
Davis is right.
UNC’s late game collapses aren’t just a recent occurrence. In November, Carolina lost to Iowa State and Alabama in similar scenarios. Against the Cyclones, the Heels held a 58-51 lead in the second half before being outscored 19-7 to finish the game. The next game, Carolina blew an eight-point second half lead before eventually losing in four overtimes against the Crimson Tide.
The Tar Heels’ lack of attention to detail is shocking considering many thought the group learned what it takes to win consistently at this level after its 2022 run to the national championship game. But issues that were written off as early season blunders are still haunting Carolina in March.
“At the end of the day, it comes down to making plays,” Davis said. “I talk to the team about the importance of discipline and details and that’s a perfect example of discipline and details from a defensive standpoint. Those are things that have been told and taught, and things you just can’t do down the stretch. It is very frustrating.”
The frustration has been felt throughout the fanbase, but one thing is certain: the later it gets into the year, the more important it is to be nearly flawless down the stretch of games, and a moment lack of focus can end a season. And if UNC wants an opportunity to make an unlikely run again, it must fix its late-game woes.
