North Carolina’s 95–90 upset loss to Stanford felt less like an outlier and more like the continuation of trends that have been quietly building. Despite another strong offensive showing from Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar, the Tar Heels continued struggles defending the perimeter finally proved too costly.

Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar once again shouldered carried the majority of the load offensively pouring in 26 a piece. Seth Trimble and Luka Bogavac scored 13 each, as well. Luka finally able to get a little something going from off the bench after scoring no points in two of the last three games.

With Wilson and Veesaar continuously being the bulk of the scoring for the Tar Heels it has proved to add little margin for error when things break down defensively. And break down they did, yet again.

Stanford freshman guard, Ebuka Okorie, simply could not be contained by UNC. Okorie poured in a career-high 36 points, repeatedly beating defenders off the dribble and punishing late closeouts. It marked the fourth time in the last month he has scored 30 or more points. Whether at another school or in the NBA, Okorie will be getting the bag next year.

Stanford’s success wasn’t limited to one player. The Cardinal, as a team, shot 57 percent from the field, continuing a troubling defensive trend for UNC that has now surfaced against SMU, Wake Forest, and Stanford allowing over 50 percent from the field in each those games. Stanford also shot 57 percent from three tonight.

The game grew increasingly tense late as UNC failed to generate stops. Stanford had way too much energy and momentum behind them and the building responded accordingly. It was a back-and-forth battle at the end, with Stanford capitalizing on perimeter breakdowns to close out the upset.

In the end, the loss told a familiar story that has followed North Carolina since the start of ACC play. It surfaced a week and a half ago against SMU, when the Mustangs shot 52 percent from three, and it appeared again tonight. UNC’s offensive pillars delivered, but without enough answers defensively on the perimeter. As a result, the Tar Heels suffered their second loss in three games.

The Heels stay out west to take on Cal, Saturday afternoon at 4pm on ACC Network.