CHAPEL HILL, N.C. –– North Carolina basketball played a complete 40 minutes of basketball for perhaps the first time all season, staving off the SMU Mustangs with a 82-67 win in the Smith Center last night.
Despite being 16 games into the season, the Tar Heels have struggled to maintain consistent energy throughout games. They’ve been unpredictable, either starting strong in the first half before fading in the second, or mounting late-game comebacks that fell short.
The team’s turning point came after their New Year’s Day loss at Louisville, forcing them to reevaluate their identity as they entered ACC play. The Tar Heels followed this up with a dramatic win 74-73 at Notre Dame on Saturday, illustrated by Elliot Cadeau’s four-point play with just 4.8 seconds remaining…