UNC Basketball: Loss to Wake Forest puts Tar Heels in bad company

The UNC basketball program has now dropped two straight games in Atlantic Coast Conference play and it’s not just the losses that stand out but instead, how they lost those games.

After losing by 28 on the road to Miami, the Tar Heels dropped another one by 20+ on Saturday against Wake Forest. And much like the loss to the Hurricanes, this effort was an unacceptable one as the Tar Heels were punched in the mouth early and never recovered.

This is a team that doesn’t look like the mesh well and has too many problems to overcome to even made a run in the NCAA Tournament. There’s a lack of effort, hustle and even heart with this roster. While there is talent, it hasn’t come together fully yet and Saturday was the latest example.

It was also a loss that put UNC into some not-so-fun company. With the 22-point loss, the Tar Heels have lost back-to-back ACC games by 20 or more points for the first time since the 2001-02 season:

If you remember (yeah, sorry for bringing up bad memories) that 2001-02 season was the one where UNC went 8-20 under Matt Doherty. It was a flat out disaster for the program and one that a LOT of fans really don’t want to remember.

Is this UNC team as bad as that one? Nope, but they aren’t very good right now. UNC has lost four of their six games this season by double-digits and five of those losses have come to teams that are projected to make the NCAA Tournament.

The good news? There’s time to turn things around. The bad news? There’s no sign of improvement anytime soon.

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