A late run by NC State doomed Carolina and almost certainly popped its NCAA Tournament bubble Sunday afternoon in Raleigh, as the Wolfpack used 29 points from Jarkel Joiner to clinch a 77-69 win. It’s UNC’s fifth loss in six games.

The Tar Heels had weathered eight turnovers in the first half (NC State had zero) to fight to within a point at halftime. Carolina slowly but surely nosed in front in the early minutes of the second, taking a lead as large as six points at 54-48 with 10 minutes remaining. But as has happened far too often this season, UNC let that lead get away with poorly-timed empty possessions on offense and hot shooting from the opponent.

Joiner completely took over down the stretch, sending PNC Arena into hysterics with acrobatic layups and long jumpers, the last of which gave the Wolfpack a 69-60 lead with four minutes to go. A thunderous dunk on the fast break effectively sealed the deal.

In the end, it was a 29-15 NC State run in the final 10 minutes, one which is likely the final nail in the coffin of Carolina’s at-large NCAA Tournament hopes. Now, the clearest path is simply to steal the ACC’s automatic bid by winning the conference tournament in March. UNC’s recent slump hasn’t exactly put it in ideal position to do that, either, as the Tar Heels would likely have to win four games in four days to win their first title since 2016.

Caleb Love finished as Carolina’s leading scorer with 23 points, though he once again shot below 50 percent. Armando Bacot posted a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double, but no other Tar Heel scored in double figures. R.J. Davis struggled to a 2-13 shooting performance.

In short, it was an effective summation of what has gone wrong for the team this season: blown second-half leads, little support from outside of Carolina’s “Big 3,” and another loss in a Quad 1 opportunity.

Familiarity, it seems, does breed contempt.

 

Featured image via The Daily Tar Heel/Samantha Lewis

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