Keeping It Heel
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UNC Basketball vs. UCLA: Tar Heels look to rebound against Bruins

By Zack Pearson

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 22: Nassir Little #5 and Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels stand on the court during their game against th eTexas Longhorns during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 22, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Texas defeated North Carolina 92-89. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 22: Nassir Little #5 and Luke Maye #32 of the North Carolina Tar Heels stand on the court during their game against th eTexas Longhorns during the 2018 Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational basketball tournament at the Orleans Arena on November 22, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Texas defeated North Carolina 92-89. (Photo by Sam Wasson/Getty Images) /
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The Tar Heels look to get back on track following their first loss of the season as they play UCLA in the Las Vegas Invitational on Friday

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered their first loss of the season on Thursday night, dropping their opening game of the Las Vegas Invitational to Texas. The loss dropped UNC to 5-1 on the season and it was an overall sloppy effort from the Tar Heels.

They now face a quick turnaround against a ranked UCLA Bruins team that comes in No. 17 in the latest AP Top 25 poll as UNC looks to get things back on track.

In their first loss of the year, UNC looked sloppy and blew a big early lead. They allowed Texas to hang in the game and it eventually cost them a win.

Freshman Coby White was a lone bright spot for the Tar Heels, scoring a game-high 33 points as he had a break out game. White was good early on and continued that play in the second half, making 10 of his 17 field goal attempts including 7 three-pointers.

But if UNC wants to avoid going 0-2 in this quick tournament, they are going to need more from their seniors.

Luke Maye, Cam Johnson and Kenny Williams combined to go 12 for 33 from the field for just 29 points. The three struggled throughout the game and it was clear they were off.

Next up for the Tar Heels is a UCLA team that is ranked No. 17 in the country but they are coming off a 20-point loss to Michigan State in Las Vegas. The Bruins fell behind early in the first half, trailing 51-26 at the break and never recovered.

They struggled to shoot the ball throughout the game, shooting 35 percent from the field making just 30 percent from the three-point line. The Bruins are the type of team that if they fall into a big hole early on, it’s tough for them to get out of.

With UNC’s loss to Texas, expect the Tar Heels to come out playing a lot better than they did on Thursday. It’s clear Roy Williams wasn’t happy with his team’s performance and we are sure he let them know about it at halftime and after the game.

UNC must also clean up the turnovers.

The Tar Heels committed 17 in the loss to the Longhorns, just days after they had 18 in the home win over Saint Francis. It’s something that has plagued this team early on and with them being sloppy, it’s led to more possessions for opponents.

Let’s see if they can clean that up against the Bruins.

What you need to know

What? No. 17 UCLA (4-1) vs No. 7 UNC (5-1)
When? Friday, Nov. 23 – 4:00 p.m. EST
Where? Orleans Arena – Las Vegas, Nevada
TV? FOX
Radio? Tar Heel Sports Network
Line? UNC – 10.5
All-Time series? Tar Heels lead all-time series 7-3.
Prediction? UNC 82, UCLA 76

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