We've all lived through this scenario before.
The game following the Duke matchup is always one that leaves doubt. Win or lose, it always tends to be a dogfight, and let's face it: Saturday night was quite insane for a variety of reasons.
With a short turnaround and a road trip to Coral Gables ahead, the Tar Heels didn't have much time to regroup. That showed on the court on Tuesday night as they suffered a loss to Miami on the road.
Right from the gate, you can tell the Tar Heels were sluggish. Miami, on the other hand, knew they needed this win to boost its NCAA Tournament resume, and boy did they show that desire to win from the onset.
From knocking down nearly 80% of their shots through the first 10 minutes of play to out-hustling and out-rebounding the Tar Heels, you can feel the desire from the Hurricanes throughout.
If you think about it, it's the type of effort we saw from UNC down the stretch on Saturday night in Chapel Hill.
The guys who logged a ton of minutes against the Blue Devils struggled. Caleb Wilson was limited to 12 points and six rebounds (and suffered some type of left-hand/wrist injury that had to be taped during the second half), while Henri Veesaar had another rough night in the post, recording just 11 points and six boards of his own. Derek Dixon missed all six of his attempts from beyond-the-arc, while Seth Trimble, the hero on Saturday night, was a no-show, scoring just four points (all of which came from the free-throw line).
This one isn't on Hubert Davis
While some on social media will blame the coaching for not having the team prepared, you're pointing the blame at the wrong direction.
This loss is on the players. Even when you're tired, sluggish, and not 100%, you need to come out and give it everything you've got each night. If you don't, a good team like Miami will capitalize. It just goes to show that you cannot take nights off, even following the biggest victory of your season.
The Duke game is now well in the past, but the hangover still lingers for UNC. Now, they'll have to regroup quickly as Jeff Capel, a known UNC hater, brings his Pittsburgh Panthers to town on Saturday afternoon, a game Capel will have his team ready to play.
While this game was a letdown for sure, the Tar Heels can't let it dictate the narrative heading into the final seven games of the regular season.