Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: Tar Heels’ toughest moments of the past 20 years

By Blake Cockrum

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during the second half of their game against the Boston College Eagles at the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Boston College won 71-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 01: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts during the second half of their game against the Boston College Eagles at the Dean Smith Center on February 01, 2020 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Boston College won 71-70. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – MARCH 29: Coby White #2 of the North Carolina Tar Heels and Bryce Brown #2 of the Auburn Tigers battle for a loose ball during the 2019 NCAA Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional at Sprint Center on March 29, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Auburn Tigers end Coby White’s collegiate career

After winning 27 games and finishing the ACC regular season in a first-place tie with the Virginia Cavaliers, North Carolina was awarded a 1-seed in the 2019 NCAA Tournament’s Midwest Region.

The Tar Heels rolled off a pair of lopsided victories against Iona and Washington before a Sweet 16 game against the Auburn Tigers in Kansas City. On paper, it was a game that UNC should have won, but in actuality, it was a game that Auburn controlled fairly well from start to finish. That was particularly true in the second half, where the Tigers turned a two-point halftime lead into a 17-point blowout victory.

It was the end of an era for the UNC basketball program, as seniors Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Cameron Johnson were unceremoniously ousted from the tournament and sent packing by the fifth-seeded underdog Tigers.

It was also the end of a terrific freshman season for Coby White, who had already left an indelible mark on the North Carolina basketball program in the short time that he’d been there. He and fellow freshman Nassir Little both declared for the 2019 NBA Draft shortly after the season ended, leaving Roy Williams and his coaching staff wondering who would take over at the point guard position the following season.

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