The North Carolina Tar Heels haven’t looked the part of the No. 1 team in the country so far this season, and it finally showed up in the win-loss column Friday.
After struggling to get past the Portland Pilots (4-3) in the first game of the Phil Knight Invitational, No. 1 North Carolina (5-1) fell 70-65 to unranked Iowa State (5-0).
While it’s always a shock to see a No. 1 team lose to an unranked opponent, the number (or lack thereof) next to North Carolina and Iowa State is misleading.
Entering Friday’s game, the Tar Heels ranked 212th out of 362 teams in points per game allowed (70.6), and Iowa State ranked 11th (53.5). North Carolina has been better on offense, but its point differential (plus-11.8) is 91st nationally and much worse than Iowa State’s (plus 25.7), which is 13th in the country.
North Carolina has struggled in two other wins against Charleston Cougars (6-1) and Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs (1-4).
On Friday, Iowa State guard Caleb Grill sparked a comeback win with multiple threes and a two-point basket for the go-ahead lead the Cyclones would never relinquish.
Grill finished with a well-done 31-point performance (medium rare if we’re talking filet mignon).
North Carolina is finding it difficult to follow up the run to the national title earlier this year, but no one should be pounding the panic button — at least not yet.
The early-season struggles are certainly something to watch for, but the Tar Heels faced similar problems last year.
In their first six games a year ago, they went 4-2 and gave up an average of 78.7 points per game. In their next six games, they went 5-1 and allowed 64.2 points per game.
North Carolina will need to begin showing some of that form in its upcoming games to silence the noise surrounding the team’s lackluster start. The season is young, but the Tar Heels are developing bad habits that could prevent them from getting where they ultimately want to go.
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