UNC loses second straight ACC game

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3827187&name=katz_andy

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — North Carolina isn’t in trouble — yet.

Losing to Boston College at home was unexpected. Falling to Wake wasn’t. But when it’s added on to the BC loss, it makes the Tar Heels’ task of winning the ACC a bit more daunting.

The 0-2 hole isn’t insurmountable, considering that Duke hasn’t played Wake Forest or North Carolina yet, and it plays them both twice. Clemson hasn’t played Duke, Wake or Carolina, yet, either.

There are still plenty of losses to pass around. Still, being 0-2 in the ACC brought out some raw emotional responses Sunday night.

“I’m stunned,” Carolina junior guard Ty Lawson said. “I’m competitive. I love to win and it hurts right now, losing to BC and losing to Wake. We’ve got a lot left to play, but we’ve got to change something.”

“It’s shocking honestly,” Carolina senior forward Tyler Hansbrough said. “We’re a veteran team. We have to bounce back, stop the careless mistakes and make shots we usually make.”

Lawson said the Tar Heels didn’t set screens for each other. They forced too many shot, and they didn’t defend as well as they could have in the 92-89 loss to Wake Forest on Sunday.

Hansbrough and fellow forward Deon Thompson were a combined 6 of 25 from the field.

If those had been the numbers known to Hansbrough prior to the game, did he think the Tar Heels could win Sunday? “No I don’t think so,” Hansbrough said. “We have to play better. That’s on us to get better shots and get better looks.”

Carolina junior guard Wayne Ellington didn’t get into his offensive flow until late in the game when there was a sense of urgency for the Tar Heels.

Why? “We sometimes go out there and we just expect to win, instead of realizing that nobody is going to roll over for us,” Ellington said. “We’ve got the target on our back. We’ve got to be a little bit hungry. We’ve got to want it more and take it. We can’t think someone is going to give it to us.”

Ellington said toughness was an issue Sunday night, too. The 0-2 start left him struggling for answers, too. “I’m stunned,” said Ellington, offering up a similar refrain. “But I’d rather it be now than in March. It’s a long season, and we’ve got to be hungry and expect a fight from the beginning.”

• North Carolina senior forward Marcus Ginyard sat out his second straight game since coming back for limited minutes (he played in three games) from an October stress fracture in his left foot. Ginyard said he’s not sure when he’s coming back this time and couldn’t say whether it’s going to be a week or weeks. Ginyard’s defensive prowess on the perimeter and leadership on the court is a huge lift for this team.

• Hard to believe this is the same Carolina team that absolutely embarrassed Michigan State by 35 in Detroit on Dec. 3. But the Spartans are hardly the same squad, either. Carolina still had a shot, despite not playing its best, to beat Wake in the final few possessions. So, the Tar Heels are hardly that far away from resuming their run.

• Wake Forest is one of the classiest institutions in the nation. Credit the Demon Deacons for acknowledging Mugsy Bogues in the crowd — and more importantly — for signaling out former coach Dave Odom, who was in attendance as an announcer for the ACC ISP radio network.

• It was interesting to see how the Wake Forest security detail handled the oncoming rush of students onto the floor. I was next to them and each security officer made sure they had a specific North Carolina player to protect going off the court. They were well organized and carried out their No. 1 priority: safety for the players and coaches of the opposing team during a crush of fans streaming onto the court.

• Maybe I’ll be wrong, but pity Virginia. The Cavaliers are next up for North Carolina Thursday.

• Very impressive win by UCLA at USC Sunday night. Senior point guard Darren Collison had 18 points and six assists. The Bruins have now swept the first three road games of the Pac-10 schedule (at the Oregon schools and SC). Is there any doubt that the Bruins own the Pac-10? By the way, I don’t understand why the UCLA-USC game was put on late night, Sunday. That matchup has to be featured more.

• I didn’t give up on Alabama. The Tide opened up the SEC slate with a home win over LSU by six.

• Purdue was facing a must win on Sunday, and it beat Wisconsin at home to avoid an 0-3 Big Ten start.