UNC Basketball: Tar Heels get embarrassed by Wildcats in Las Vegas

The UNC basketball program got blown out by the Kentucky Wildcats in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday. 

What can I really say about the Tar Heels’ blowout loss to the Kentucky Wildcats in the CBS Sports Classic on Saturday?

It was an embarrassment at best; an indictment on the expectations that many fans have — or had — for the Tar Heels this season. And I don’t think either is an exaggeration given what we’ve seen this season.

The Tar Heels beat No. 24 Michigan, sure, but what do we really know about the Wolverines? They haven’t beaten a single ranked opponent this season, and have looked less than sensational in a number of their victories. That’s the team that North Carolina claims its only top 25 victory over this season, and they’re winless in the other three. And for what it’s worth, Michigan is now unranked and just 7-4 overall.

As it relates to the Tar Heels’ bout with Kentucky, though, it was like the two teams were playing different games. Kentucky played with an energy and intensity and tenaciousness that North Carolina simply didn’t bother tapping into. The Tar Heels were slower and less aggressive and seemingly uninspired, which was particularly evident in the first half when the game was still somewhat within reach.

Outside of Armando Bacot — 22 points and 10 rebounds — the Tar Heels were absolutely abysmal from an offensive standpoint, and there’s really no reason to discuss their embarrassing performance on defense.

They got beat up on both ends of the court by Sahvir Wheeler, a player that came into the game averaging less than 10 points per game on 40 percent shooting. He poured in a game-high 26 points on a cool 12-for-15 (80 percent) shooting performance against the Tar Heels. In his prior game, Kentucky’s upset loss to Notre Dame last Saturday, he scored just three points on an 0-for-5 mark from the floor and 0-for-2 from three-point range.

Ultimately, this North Carolina team has to take whatever can be learned from this game, and move on from it. They’ve got to figure out a way to come out of the gates with the kind of intensity that their opponents are, and discover a level of consistency that they’ve yet to find this season. Sure, they can beat up on lesser competition, but are they capable of beating teams that are as good or better than them? That’s something we haven’t seen much of the past three seasons but hope to see change over the next several months.

We’ll have complete coverage of the Tar Heels’ game against Appalachian State on Tuesday night. Check back with us for that, and everything on the UNC basketball program.