UNC Basketball loses to Virginia in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

The UNC basketball program’s loss to Virginia essentially eliminates any hope that they had of sneaking their way into the NCAA Tournament.

Virginia provided the final dagger in what will end up being one of the most disappointing seasons in UNC basketball history.

The Tar Heels suffered a quarterfinal loss to the Cavaliers, one that certainly will keep them from finding their way into the upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Expectations were high, as North Carolina came in as the preseason No. 1 team. However, the Tar Heels couldn’t live up to the hype that was built off last season’s Cinderella NCAA Tournament run, and now will likely be playing in the NIT.

Playing without a fully healthy Armando Bacot was already going to be a challenge for the Tar Heels, but overcoming struggles from some key contributors didn’t help by any means.

RJ Davis was fantastic. The junior guard scored a game-high 24 points, as he did everything he could to keep his team in the game. Unfortunately, Davis didn’t get much help.

Even in arguably his best passing game of the season, Caleb Love was 3-15 from the field, while Pete Nance and Leaky Black (who both were 2-7 from the floor) couldn’t put the ball in the basket.

Add to this the fact that Bacot, who didn’t even play down the stretch, had just four shot attempts. Not a good recipe for success.

Give credit to Virginia: they outhustled the Tar Heels in this one. Their slow-paced offense worked, as they shot just under 50% from the floor throughout the game.

Once again, the UNC basketball program gave us all hope after a dominant victory over Boston College. As should’ve been expected, they followed it up with another disappointing outing, going to show just how much of a roller coaster this season has been.

Follow us @KeepingItHeel on Twitter and like our fan page on Facebook for continued coverage of UNC basketball news, updates, and recruiting.