The No. 15 Tar Heels haven’t played all that poorly the past two contests at Pittsburgh and at Duke, but they lost both contests. A return home to the comfy confines of the Smith Center to take on struggling Georgia Tech could provide the perfect remedy for a UNC squad in desperate need of victory.

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“Guys, I know the outcome. You can’t just say besides the outcome because you know the outcome. They played better than we did today. We’ll get another chance, and maybe we’ll play better that day. It’s a long, long marathon. It’s a marathon in this league, and you’re running up hill all the time,” UNC head coach Roy Williams says.

Brice Johnson stepped up before fouling out against Duke (Todd Melet)

Brice Johnson stepped up before fouling out against Duke (Todd Melet)

Carolina’s ACC ‘marathon’ will continue this weekend.

Sitting at 18-8 on the season with an 8-5 mark in ACC play, the Tar Heels still remain in the hunt for a No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament.

But losing four of the last five contests makes it harder to feel too optimistic. The true mettle of this Carolina club will no doubt be tested coming down the home stretch.

Lost in the shuffle of another classic Carolina-Duke matchup at Cameron was junior forward Brice Johnson fouling out of the contest late in the second half.

Johnson was playing well, especially on the boards. Without Johnson on the floor, the Tar Heels struggled to come up with the critical rebounds needed to put away their rivals.

Coach Williams says UNC needs to cut out the careless fouls.

“It hurt us, but it wasn’t a major part of the game. I don’t want anybody fouling out. We got to stop making the silly fouls. If he [Johnson] had stopped making the silly fouls, perhaps we’d be in the game,” Coach Williams says.

Despite the bitter end to the night at Cameron, there were flashes of brilliance from a lock-down UNC defense and thunderous finishes by the mercurial J.P. Tokoto.

Coach Williams will hope the individual performances Wednesday evening translate into a more collective, consistent Carolina going forward.

J.P. Tokoto's play has electrified crowds...at times. (Photo by Todd Melet.)

J.P. Tokoto’s play has electrified crowds…at times. (Photo by Todd Melet.)

“J.P. [Tokoto] has been struggling recently, but he had 15 points, seven assists, zero turnovers and eight rebounds [in the game]. I think several guys did some good things,” Coach Williams says.

UNC’s opponent Saturday, Georgia Tech, won’t be feeling sorry for the reeling the Tar Heels. The Yellow Jackets are a capable squad, coming off a 63-52 win against the Clemson Tigers.

The high noon tipoff in Chapel Hill will be the first home action on the hardwood since the passing of legendary UNC coach Dean Smith earlier this month. Emotions are sure to be riding high.