At the 10-minute mark in the second half, all was right with the world.
North Carolina held a 32-point lead over Syracuse, one that felt as secure as a lead could get.
However, the final 9 minutes and 32 seconds of the game proved that no lead is safe until the final buzzer sounds, as Syracuse found a way to storm back into the game.
Sure, UNC went on to win by 10. While that looks pretty solid in the box score, it doesn't tell the tale of what occurred, given the Orange's massive 37-10 run down the stretch pulled the game to within as little as six points.
The Tar Heels took their foot off the gas, allowing Syracuse to get rolling toward a massive comeback effort. Fortunately, the 32-point lead was too much for the Orange to overcome, as North Carolina escaped with a win.
Following the game, Hubert Davis was asked about the second half, particularly regarding closing out games. One word was all the Tar Heels' head coach needed to say.
"Unacceptable"
Here's the full quote from Davis on what he thinks transpired down the stretch:
"We always talk about finishing halves, finishing possessions, finishing games, and that's just unacceptable," Davis said. "Syracuse is a great basketball team, Coach Autry is a fantastic coach, and you can see they're extremely talented, but the last nine minutes and thirty-two seconds: just a departure of what allowed us to get the lead."
Some of the areas he pointed to included taking good shots, taking care of the basketball, executing defensively while defending without fouling. Those were all things that the Tar Heels did relatively well over the first 30 minutes of the game, but really struggled to figure it over the final 10 minutes of action.
Davis on his team's inconsistency
The Tar Heels have defined the word "inconsistent" this season, something Davis is very much aware of.
"We have stretches of brilliance, and then we'll go stretches where we're making multiple mistakes consecutively, and that's something that we have to work on and get better at."
Let's face it: basketball is a game in which you are bound to make mistakes. No one is perfect, as evident by the Tar Heels second-half collapse on Monday night.
However, a win is a win, and Davis and the Tar Heels won't question the final outcome. What they will do is use this as a building tool, ensuring that something like that never happens again.
"Mistakes are good when you can recognize it, admit it, learn from it, and grow from it."