The UNC men’s basketball team looked sluggish, slow and unprepared during Tuesday’s rare home loss to Clemson.
North Carolina star center Armando Bacot and power forward Harrison Ingram even said so in Tuesday’s postgame presser. Head coach Hubert Davis highlighted the practices between the Duke win and Clemson loss weren’t great.
It’s tough to think of many positives, but despite the letdown, UNC still is first place in the ACC. There’s much less margin for error, but all is well again if the Tar Heels beat the University of Miami (Florida) on Saturday afternoon.
The Hurricanes were one of March Madness’ greatest surprises last year.
After winning the ACC regular-season title for just the second time, Miami lost in its second game of the ACC Tournament to eventual champion Duke. The Hurricanes hit the reset button en route to an historic run, making their first Final Four appearance in school history.
Miami still has stars Norchad Omier, Nijel Pack and Wooga Poplar from last year’s run, but it hasn’t played at the level many expected. Wins over a formerly-ranked Clemson and a tough Kansas State squad will certainly help its case come NCAA Tournament time, but a win over North Carolina Saturday is likely needed, too.
How can the Tar Heels avoid yet another letdown?