Tar Heel of the Game for the UNC Basketball program's loss to No. 1-ranked Kansas

The UNC basketball program battled back after being down by as much as 20, but it wasn't enough to defeat No. 1-ranked Kansas in Lawrence on Friday night.

While some may say, "how can you name a Tar Heel of the Game" following a loss, here's our reasoning.

Unless a team gets absolutely blown out, there's always a player (or players) who deserve some recognition. We don't believe in consolation prizes, but we do believe in highlighting the efforts of student-athletes who deserve the praise.

RJ Davis earned the award for the UNC basketball program's season-opener against Elon, as his fellow returning player earned the honor against Kansas.

Seth Trimble

Seth Trimble has taken his game to the next level.

For the first time in his UNC basketball career, Trimble led the Tar Heels in scoring. He finished the night with 19 points to go along with four rebounds over 33 minutes of action.

Most of his damage came at the free throw line, as he connected on all 10 of his attempts at the charity stripe.

Sometimes all you need is an opportunity, as Trimble has earned that right to play significant minutes for this UNC basketball squad. He's been arguably their best player through the first two games of the season, as his overall game has improved tremendously.

If he can continue playing at this level, don't be surprised if Trimble earns All-ACC honors this season. That's how good he's been through two games thus far.