For one, 44 was the most free throws for a North Carolina opponent since Williams became coach.
And then there’s the foul trouble, the comeback, the poor free throw shooting and the fact that Louisville played more aggressively in the second half.
“They competed harder than us when we thought we had the game,” Marcus Paige said. “That’s the story of the game. You can look at any statistical category you want.”
Williams agreed saying that Louisville’s defense was stronger than Carolina’s offense and that their will to win was stronger.
“We’re getting the crap out of town,” Williams said.
A win in this game certainly would have set Carolina up for a good chance to win the ACC regular season crown. But let’s not over play the importance. A lot can happen. Plus, perhaps it’s time to be philosophical.
If Carolina buckles down and beats Virginia, it will be in part because the Heels want to play harder and simply do better after such a disappointing loss.
In other words, Carolina may have beaten Louisville and lost to Virginia. If I were the Cavaliers, I would have preferred to play the Tar Heels with them coming off a win.
Ok, ok, it’s best to win both games but maybe Carolina now has the intangible edge in the matchup with Virginia Monday. Of course, if the Tar Heels lose to the Cavs, the loss after being up by 18 at Louisville will sting even more and make finishing in the top three in the conference much more difficult.
“We’re trying to win the league,” Paige said. “Dropping one game can mean the difference between the top of the league or a three or four spot with a lot of hurdles to climb. For that reason, this is going to stick with me for a while. It’s going to be hard not to think about this one.”
Beating unbeaten Virginia will go a long way toward putting the loss to Louisville in the rear view mirror.
Update: Nevermind, Virginia is now coming off its first loss after falling to Duke Saturday night.
Carolina still gets to play Virginia at home and has two chances to beat Duke.