Roy Williams always said it, "everything looks better when the ball goes in the basket."
Well, unfortunately, SMU was the one who simply couldn't miss on Saturday afternoon.
The UNC basketball program started 2026 on a sour note, suffering a double-digit loss to SMU on the road. It serves as the Tar Heels' worst overall performance up to this point in the season, one that will leave a sour taste in their mouths as they now have a week off to prepare for Wake Forest.
SMU was RED HOT
The Mustangs could not miss!
Give them credit: knocking down 60% of your shots from the floor, including 51.9% from three-point range, is tough to do, but they kept taking advantage of North Carolina's inability to close out on open shooters.
SMU essentially dominated the game in all aspects, especially in the second-half, when they shot 71.4% from the field. It's the first time all season that the Tar Heels allowed more than 75 points in a game, as SMU's high-powered offense was too much for North Carolina to handle.
Boopie Miller was outstanding, leading all scorers with 27 points and 12 assists. Corey Washington also contributed 23 points while knocking down five three-pointers in the win.
The Dynamic Duo was far from Dynamic
For the first time all season, an opponent found a way to keep Caleb Wilson and Henri Veesaar in check.
Wilson finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, but each and every shot he took was a challenge to get. SMU was physical throughout against him and made it known that they would rather have anyone else beat them other than No. 8 in Carolina Blue.
As for Veesaar, it's the second consecutive game in which he wasn't as dominant as he's been. He connected on just four of 11 shots to end the game with 14 points and six rebounds, a lackluster performance from the duo who guides this UNC basketball team.
Other notables
Seth Trimble led the Tar Heels with 22 points and five assists, while Jarin Stevenson had a nice outing off the bench, as he connected on five of his six shots from the floor to claim 16 points on the afternoon.
The Verdict
This was not a pretty performance by any means.
Sure, there's some bright spots, but there are some questionable things about how Hubert Davis utilized his rotation throughout. Jonathan Powell, who has been playing extremely well, was limited to just 10 minutes while Kyan Evans, who was coming off a game in which he drained five three pointers, only played 13 minutes.
There will be plenty of time this week to go deeper into that, but for now, this loss is a very disappointing one for the UNC basketball program.