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UNC Basketball: Tar Heels running out of time this season

By Richard Adkins

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Cole Anthony #2 talks with head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game against the Boston College Eaglesat the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Cole Anthony #2 talks with head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels during the first half of their game against the Boston College Eaglesat the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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A season worth forgetting seems to have even the most delusional UNC fans giving up hope on the season after Monday night’s loss.

UNC basketball falls to 10-12 after a 65-59 loss to Florida State on Monday night and 3-8 within the conference. The matchup was one no one expected Carolina to come close to winning, yet the Heels fought to the very end. Despite the competitive outcome with a top ACC team, the loss may have been one of the final nails in UNC’s already thin hopes at making March Madness.

The Heels kept it tight early on, only being down by one to end the first half, before an explosion of bad shots in the second half.

This game—much like many others for the Heels this season—had a winnable, promising feeling that went down the drain quickly with another poor shooting performance. At one point UNC went 11 minutes without a field goal, while missing 17 shots in a row. The frustration came from the style of play, looking more like a pickup game than organized basketball.

Carolina shot 30.9% from the field and 31.6% from three, while only hitting 11 of 17 free throws, good enough for just a 64.7% clip. Cole Anthony in his second game back was included in the bad shooting, only hitting 3 of 10 three-pointers, and going just three-for-eight at the free-throw line. Anthony wasn’t the only one to blame as Garrison Brooks went two-for-eight from the field with only four rebounds in 34 minutes of play. The only somewhat bright spot came from Christian Keeling, who kept the Heels alive late, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting.

The chances Carolina will be dancing come March are looking very slim at this point, especially with the upcoming schedule.

With games against Duke, Virginia, Louisville, and Duke again, the Heels will have to go on a nice win streak and even then a bid wouldn’t be sealed without an ACC tournament victory. Thankfully for UNC, Brandon Robinson—who missed the game against FSU—will be back sooner than later, while Anthony continues to get healthier and more comfortable as the days go on. The Heels aren’t totally out of it just yet, they just need some Michael Jordan “Space Jam” juice to get their shot back.

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