CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– After three losses in their last five games, it’s clear that something needs to shift if No.7-ranked North Carolina hopes to salvage the remainder of their season.
At this point in the season and with March Madness right around the corner, rankings become ever-more indicative of a team’s berth in the postseason. In their 86-79 loss to unranked Syracuse Tuesday night, the Tar Heels lost it down the stretch and were unable to contain Orange guards Judah Mintz and JJ Starling who supplied 25 and 21 points respectively.
The Orange had a hot shooting night, making 62.5 percent (30-of-48) of their shots from the field.
The Orange were set on avenging the 36-point loss North Carolina handed them back on Jan.13 and after the win, fans stormed the court celebrating the program’s first win over a top-ten program since beating Duke back in 2020.
It’s not like UNC isn’t producing. Four players scored in the double digits, as RJ Davis once again led the team in scoring with 19 points. In the loss to Clemson, he put up 22 points and was held up by Armando Bacot’s 24 points and Harrison Ingram’s eleven. Davis has shown up for every game this season.
But it seems as though the Tar Heels are now out of sync and not playing with the same togetherness that sparked their 10-game win streak last month. With six games left in the regular season, UNC (19-6, 11-3) has allowed other ACC teams to close in on their first place spot among ACC standings.
While they’re still clinging to the top spot, the Blue Devils have the best overall record at 19-5 after winning their past three games.
Pinpointing the team’s woes isn’t difficult. They’ve had trouble closing games and whether it’s fatigue or missed assignments, the Tar Heels have made a bunch of late-game mistakes, whether it’s turnovers or the inability to make game-winning plays.
The games aren’t getting any easier and with the ACC tournament beginning on Mar. 12, they’ve got to make something shake. North Carolina must return to the same quality of play they displayed earlier on in the season and their production off the bench has got to be more diversified.
Across the last six games, the team’s reserves have averaged 9.6 bench points. The team needs more players to step up and provide a spark, because increased depth will undoubtedly be the difference maker between winning and losing.
And with just six games left in the regular season, they have some serious work to do if they hope to stay atop the league and national standings.
On Saturday, the Tar Heels will host Virginia Tech. They lead the all-time series 72-17, including 33-6 in home games. They boast an 8-1 record in the Smith Center. North Carolina has won eight straight games against Tech and haven’t lost to them since the 2007 season.
With two days left until game day, North Carolina will use this much-needed time to regroup and figure out how they can get a few more wins under their belt before things really start to matter.