Johni Broome powers Auburn to Maui Invitational semifinal win over UNC basketball

Unfortunately, you can't overcome large deficits every night.

The UNC basketball program dug itself into a hole and couldn't crawl out, losing to No. 4-ranked Auburn in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational on Tuesday night. North Carolina will play Michigan State in the third place game on Wednesday night.

Johni Broome was a matchup nightmare for the Tar Heels, as the senior forward put together a 23-point, 19-rebound effort. Auburn's size as a whole was a problem for North Carolina, as the Tar Heels simply couldn't match up.

In simple terms: Auburn was the better team for the 40 minutes of action.

One of the key areas for North Carolina was the inability to get to the free throw line. As the likes of Elliot Cadeau, RJ Davis and Seth Trimble have lived at the line this season, the trio made just four total trips to the charity stripe, missing 3 of those attempts.

Trimble led the way with 17 points while four other Tar Heels scored in double-figures. Ven-Allen Lubin was the team's best post presence, finishing with 10 points and 9 rebounds. The transfer big man started the second half in place of Jalen Washington, who put together another underwhelming performance.

Both of North Carolina's early season losses have come to top-5 ranked teams. In the same token, both games showed the Tar Heels flaws, especially within the frontcourt.

There will be plenty to discuss about this game and the Maui Invitational as a whole, but for now, the focus shifts to Michigan State as the UNC basketball program hopes to return home at least with a third-place finish.