North Carolina, still with recent memories of beating Duke, had little for North Carolina State on Tuesday as the Wolfpack pinned a 82-58 loss on the Tar Heels.
UNC had little resistance for State on the defensive end of the court. NCSU basically did whatever they wanted offensively. They had 24 points in the paint by halftime and finished with 40 for the night. Conversely, Carolina chose to settle on its outside shooting. The Heels were one for its first 18 from the perimeter and ended the night 5-for-33. One would have to admit they were persistent with their long range shooting.
UNC’s 24-point loss to the Wolfpack was the largest loss to NC State in 64 years. The Tar Heels shot 31.7 percent from the field and 15.2 percent from three. UNC dropped to 20-6 overall and 8-5 in the ACC. The Wolfpack improved to 19-8 and 19-4.
The setback was the team’s second straight loss as they lost to Miami following the emotional win over Duke. The two losses has caused the team to slide down the ACC standings, causing concern regarding their NCAA Tournament standing.
Tramplet–Gate
The Tar Heels can take some solace in the fact that they do have the District Attorney on their side when it comes to the aftermath of their upset victory at home over Duke.
Remember the ending of the victory? UNC fans rushed the court and Duke coach Jon Scheyer spoke of seeing his staff members being hit and trampled on by fans. Scheyer is now being accused of lying by the DA.
Jeff Nieman, the district attorney for Chatman and Orange Counties in North Carolina, called out the Duke head coach.
“A week has passed, and what seemed likely is now patently obvious. There is zero evidence that anyone from Duke’s basketball program was ‘punched in the face’ at the Smith Center last week. Nor is there any evidence that a staffer was ‘trampled on the floor’ or ‘in a complete brawl’, for that matter,” Nieman tweeted Monday afternoon.
“Some have asked why I’m talking about this. It’s certainly not because of a sports rivalry. That’s no business of the DA’s Office. But I’ve seen firsthand how reckless accusations of violence incite more violence, and that is my business. Someone with the power and influence of a major men’s basketball coach should exercise more discretion before just saying things that can have real-world consequences.”
The plot and the rivalry thickens.
