There is a proud tradition of collegiate athletics along Tobacco Road. Duke, NC State, Wake Forest and, of course, UNC all sit no more than six miles from Interstate 40 in North Carolina, continuing fierce rivalries throughout the sporting seasons. Indeed, fans of these four southern powerhouses, especially in college basketball, have had much to be proud about in recent years.
Boy, though, it is a bad time to be a Tar Heel fan. Capped off by an embarrassing obliteration at the hands of No. 4 Duke on Saturday, UNC has tumbled to 16−15 overall and is in danger of entering postseason play with a .500 record, a mark nearly unheard of in the Roy Williams−era of Chapel Hill. Heck, that's nearly unheard of in Chapel Hill, period.
Just for giggles, let's break down the Tar Heels' résumé, which reads more like that of a McDonald's applicant than a program with 2,000 total wins and five national championships. Currently, UNC is 16−15 and 5−11 in the ACC, just one game out of last place. The Tar Heels lost to College of Charleston, UVA and Boston College. Their only impressive non−conference win came when they beat Ohio State and Michigan State at times when the Tar Heels were ranked in the top 25.
Oh, how things have changed.
What's more, Saturday's loss to the Blue Devils marked UNC's lowest point total under Williams and its worst loss in seven years. The Tar Heels' football team, amid a very average season, scored 42 points on Oct. 10, 2009. The basketball team scored 50 this weekend. Williams, one of the best coaches on a sideline today, is almost guaranteed to have his lowest win output of his career and will finish below .500 in conference play for the first time since 1988−89, when his Kansas squad was ineligible for postseason play due to NCAA violations.
But fear not, because all hope is not lost.
This season seems to be more of a product of a miserable situation in Chapel Hill than an indication of future events. Gone from last year's national−championship unit are Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson, leaving in place a core of inexperienced players forced to step up on the offensive end.
Only two of the Tar Heels' starters are seniors: defensive specialist Marcus Ginyard, who can hardly be expected to shoulder a scoring load, and Deon Thompson, the team's leading scorer at 13.7 per game.
But coming in will be Harrison Barnes, the No. 1−rated player on ESPNU's 100, in addition to Reggie Bullock, the No. 16 player on the list. Given time to mature this year, twins Travis and David Wear, in addition to five−star recruit John Henson and the Tennessee Div. II−AA two−time Mr. Basketball in Leslie McDonald could very well prove this campaign a mere anomaly in the program's books.
Furthermore, the Tar Heels have displayed some flashes of brilliance this year, leaving a glimmer of hope for upcoming seasons. Versus Ohio State, four starters scored in double digits, while the Michigan State win saw sophomore forward Ed Davis pour in a career−high 22 points. That has been offset by the 11 ACC losses, far overshadowing any small moral victories the Tar Heels can muster.
The last time UNC fared this poorly, aside from former coach Matt Doherty's abysmal 8−20 year in 2001−02, was in 1961−62, when a new coach named Dean Smith took over and promptly went 8−9. After that, we all know the story.
This situation, though, is different. Williams is not an incoming coach expected to suffer through a year of growing pains. This marks his seventh season at UNC in front of fans who consistently demand instant success.
And success the fans will get. Just give it time.
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Alex Prewitt is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Alexander.Prewitt@tufts.edu.
