North Carolina walked off the court with a heavy sense of disappointment after an 80-79 loss to Clemson in the ACC Tournament. The tough loss showed a lot of what UNC has dealt with this season, and some of the frustration that’s come with the campaign.
For much of the game, the Tar Heels struggled to find a consistent rhythm, particularly early on, which we’ve often said. That slow start forced North Carolina to play from behind for long stretches, eventually putting the team in a position where it needed a late run to keep its hopes alive.
Freshman guard Derek Dixon pointed to that brutal start as one of the biggest issues the team needs to fix before March Madness. According to Dixon, the fight North Carolina showed late in the game was a good thing, but starting off slow will often come back to bite teams in the NCAAT.
“We’ve got to come out the gate with that fight,” said Derek Dixon, per Chapelboro. “It can’t waver. It can’t start slow, which we’ve been struggling with all year. But now it’s win or go home. We’ve got to bring it.”
For forward Jarin Stevenson, the issue was more than what Hubert Davis could’ve done. UNC was ready to play its game, but it didn’t execute when needed.
Stevenson said that the team’s mindset and intensity need to improve, especially on the defensive end of the basketball.
“It comes with a mindset,” Stevenson said. “Pride. Energy. We’ve just got to have a sense of pride and get stops… we’ve got to be better.”
Center Henri Veesaar didn’t hide his frustration, either, sharing how the loss felt for both the team and the fan base.
“This is a horrendous feeling,” said Henri Veesaar. “Knowing that we let everybody down. We let ourselves down.”
Despite the disappointment, the Tar Heels still have opportunities ahead if they can regroup quickly. UNC will take on No. 11 VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.
UNC is a good team, but so is VCU. If the Tar Heels don’t do what’s needed, they’ll be home soon.