Flush and forget. That's what the UNC basketball team needs to do after Tuesday night's extremely disappointing, 82-58 blowout loss at NC State.
North Carolina (20-6, 8-5 ACC) looked overmatched from opening tip and led for only a few minutes early. The Wolfpack (19-8, 10-4 ACC), in front of a packed lower bowl at the Lenovo Center, gave their rabid fans plenty to be proud of.
Without their usual starting frontcourt duo of Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson , the Tar Heels employed a perimeter shooting-heavy attack. This panned out horribly. UNC made just 5-of-33 attempts. If you feel like hopping on your calculator, or even if you don't, that equates to 15%.
NC State drained 9-of-20 attempts from deep, anchored by a 5-of-7 mark from Matt Able off the bench. The Wolfpack took great care of the basketball, turning the ball over just four times to North Carolina's 12. State scored 16 points off those 12 Tar Heel miscues.
Here's an odd stat: UNC won the rebounding battle, 40-38, but the Wolfpack earned a 40-28 points in the paint advantage. Zayden High , starting his second straight game in place of the injured Veesaar , secured a game-high 10 rebounds. High added 13 points, giving himself a double-double in consecutive outings.
Jarin Stevenson played 35 minutes, leading the Tar Heels for a second straight game in court time, adding a solid 13 points and nine rebounds. North Carolina's backcourt combined for 31 points, giving its new post duo little help on an extremely difficult night.
Take a look at several social media reactions after UNC's difficult loss Tuesday night.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC basketball: Social media reacts to tough defeat at NC State
