The UNC basketball program fell apart in the second half in their regular season finale against rival Duke, a game in which the Tar Heels allowed the home team to get on a roll and pull away for good.
North Carolina didn't have much success in the final half of the game, even though they were able to cut the Duke lead to as little as one.
Following the loss, one that feels a lot more disappointing than the final score indicates, junior big man Henri Veesaar was asked about the team's performance. He certainly didn't look for excuses, but simply stated the facts:
"We got our a** kicked in the second half."
Veesaar ellaborates on what went wrong
Veesaar openly admitted that the Blue Devils "out efforted" the Tar Heels. Some points of emphasis that Veesaar pointed out were ones that had UNC fans screaming in frustration throughout the game: careless turnovers and a horrible effort on the glass.
North Carolina coughed up the basketball 14 times, as there were times where the decision-making was very questionable, at best. When you're down 20+ points on the road, maybe it's not a good idea to attempt an alley-oop pass, especially when the team has been sloppy throughout the game.
In regard to the rebounding effort, that, quite frankly, was dominated by the Blue Devils. Duke hauled in 18, yes, 18 offensive rebounds, an area in which North Carolina only collected five offensive boards.
You're not going to win many games when you turn the ball over at a high rate and fail to control the glass on both ends of the floor.
The 30-6 run that changed the game
Duke put together a dominant stretch in the second half, outscoring the Tar Heels 30-6 to pull away for good. Veesaar believes that run took all the wind out of North Carolina's sails.
“Once they went and kind of punched us, we didn't fight back. We just folded.”
A wake up call, perhaps?
Veesaar was rightfully frustrated after the loss, as his words showed he was unhappy with the team's effort on Saturday night. With postseason action kicking off this week, can the Tar Heels, who will be without their leading rebounder, Caleb Wilson, for the rest of the season, find a way to be better overall?
Caleb Wilson reacts to his season-ending injury in an emotional social media post
If the Tar Heels continue playing sloppy and allow opposing teams to dominate the boards, don't be surprised if this team sees an early exit in the upcoming NCAA Tournament.