Art Chansky’s Sports Notebook is presented by The Casual Pint. YOUR place for delicious pub food paired with local beer. Choose among 35 rotating taps and 200+ beers in the cooler.

Bad loss at the worst possible time.

The new Tar Heels reverted to UNC’s old ways of last year by losing a game they never should have lost.

But this one was particularly tough to swallow because, among other things, it set off a wild party in Durham and among Duke fans everywhere.

The red-hot Blue Devils (7-2) can now pull even in the loss column with 9-1 Carolina for first place in the ACC and hold a potential tiebreaker by winning in Chapel Hill Saturday before what will be an angry but bemused capacity crowd.

In the process of the Tar Heels playing their worst game of the season, their inability to solve Georgia Tech’s aggressive defense that included a 2-3 zone with the lead in the second half will surely be part of Duke’s gameplan.

Carolina’s outside shooting disappeared with the four guards missing 20 3-point attempts. Elliot Cadeau, coming off his best two games, was called for 5 fouls in 10 minutes of the second half, benching the team’s chief facilitator who was a plus-12 when in the game.

The Heels began like they would blow out the 9-point underdog by shooting 50 percent for most of the first half to build an 11-point lead and threatened to cut out the Yellow Jackets’ heart.

Then they went stone cold and were careless with the ball, giving Tech the fuel to finish on a 12-1 run and forge a 37-37 halftime tie.

The stats show a horrid shooting night from the floor (36 percent) and foul line (53 percent), but a stagnant offense that could not get the ball inside put more pressure on Carolina’s perimeter shooting that went 2 for 14 in the second half while falling behind by as many as 8 points late in the game.

A gallant comeback fell short when the Jackets scored 5 points on a hurried banked 3-pointer and a fadeaway layup over Armando Bacot’s outstretched arm. Bacot struggled to be a factor in his 29 minutes, with 9 points and 9 rebounds.

Now comes the most important home game of the season with more ramifications than just the rivalry and trying to avoid a third straight defeat to Duke in Chapel Hill.

The stunning 74-73 loss to a Quad 2 opponent will drop UNC in the NET rankings. Duke has a chance to not only make the ACC race interesting but also earn the higher NCAA tournament seed that comes with playing the first two rounds in Charlotte.

Considering how the Heels plowed through January with gritty defense and high-speed offense, the loss in Atlanta hangs around their necks as a heavy albatross going into February.

Unless, of course, they can seriously shake it off before Saturday night.

 

Featured image via Associated Press/Alex Slitz

Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.

Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our biweekly newsletter.

Related Stories
‹
Chansky's Notebook: Sad Ending
R.J. Davis and Armando Bacot are already among UNC’s best players ever, and they will be remembered for that more than this last loss.
Chansky's Notebook: Best of the West
If the oddsmakers are right, it will be Arizona and UNC on Saturday in Los Angeles for a trip to the Final Four.
Chansky's Notebook: 4 Out of 5 Ain't Bad
The ACC was relegated to “medium” space during the regular season and received five NCAA bids, when two or three more should have made it.
Chansky's Notebook: Gritty Renewal
If UNC doesn’t play harder, smarter and more together, its NCAA Tournament will be over at the hands of Michigan State.
Chansky's Notebook: 'The Wagner Season'
The Wagner team top-seeded UNC faces this afternoon in Charlotte is a lot better than the one that upset Duke back in 1983.
Chansky's Notebook: State of the Rivalry
When the Wolfpack beat UNC for its historic “Five to Stay Alive” sweep in Washington, D.C., it gave State a long-needed basketball bullet.
Chansky's Notebook: Manhood
UNC has that "we're Carolina" confidence and is playing at a physical level that matches the toughest teams of Roy and Dean.
Chansky's Notebook: History Repeating?
It is ironic that this year’s ACC Tournament is in Washington, D.C., the site where UNC last cut down the ACC nets.
Chansky's Notebook: Little Big Man
Unless he is a slam-dunk first-round pick, Elliot Cadeau has reasons to return and play at least another season for UNC.
Chansky's Notebook: The Davis 'Brothers'
Whatever happens in the postseason, UNC's two Davises are sitting atop the 15-school ACC, exactly where they belong.
›