LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Trailing by one point here in the final seconds in a loud, raucous Rupp Arena, North Carolina chose to go inside – to attack the heart of the Kentucky defense. The Tar Heels’ hopes for a victory disappeared down there, as if tossed into a black hole.
That’s what the free throw lane – the area better known as the “paint” - represented on Saturday for No. 5 UNC, which was dominated on the interior during a 73-72 loss against top-ranked Kentucky. The Heels found failure on numerous occasions inside, but it will be their final breakdown that will be remembered most.
North Carolina began its final possession with 21 seconds to play, down one. UNC had three options, coach Roy Williams said later: Kendall Marshall, the sophomore point guard, could have penetrated. Or he could have passed to the interior to Tyler Zeller, who then would have the choice to pass or shoot.
With less than 10 seconds to play, Marshall passed to Zeller, his back to the basket. He made his move. Or at least tried to. Anthony Davis, the Kentucky freshman, knocked the ball free, and into the hands of John Henson, Carolina’s 6-foot-11 junior forward. Henson went up for a short jumper and there was Davis again to block it.
“They dominated us a little bit more in the paint area than I thought they would,” Williams said.
The Wildcats (8-0) outscored UNC (6-2) 36-14 in the paint, and it wasn’t because the Heels weren’t trying to go inside. Zeller and Henson combined for 24 points that didn’t come easily, and they made just 8 of their 20 field goal attempts.
Some of Carolina’s possessions ended with a missed shot on the inside. Others ended – or were altered – after the Tar Heels simply lost the ball down low. Both happened on the final possession.
“We just ran a simple play we run all the time,” Zeller said. “I got the ball exactly where I wanted it and I don’t really know how I lost the ball. But in that situation I can’t lose the ball – I’ve got to be able to make a play.”
The Wildcats made a lot of them – especially in the second half, when they shot 56 percent and took the lead for good with 7:31 to play on a jump shot from Davis. Kentucky never led by more than five after that, but the closest Carolina came was when Reggie Bullock made a 3 from the left baseline to make it 73-72 with 49 seconds to play.
Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, another freshman forward, combined to score 14 of their 24 points in the second half. Kidd-Gilchrist led Kentucky with 17.
Afterward, Williams and the Tar Heels were left to defend their toughness and intensity. Williams liked the effort – he didn’t after UNC suffered its first loss, which came a week ago against UNLV – but not the execution. And as for the toughness? Harrison Barnes, the sophomore forward who finished with 14 points, dismissed the question.
“I feel like we’re tough enough,” he said bluntly.
The Tar Heels were so stunned in the final moments, after Henson’s final shot was blocked, that they forgot to foul Kentucky, which ran off the last four seconds with relative ease. Barnes described the mental lapse as “poor execution.” On the sideline, in the moment, Williams had been screaming for his players to foul.
Now, after consecutive games against top-10 opponents – UNC came here after beating No. 9 Wisconsin on Wednesday – he’ll try to send his players a different message: That there’s still plenty of time to improve. To toughen up, if necessary.
“I guarantee you, 25,000 people out there (at Rupp Arena), they don’t remember that we beat Kentucky last year at our place (in the regular season),” Williams said. “They remember Kentucky beat our rear ends in the Elite Eight. It’s a long season and we have a lot of basketball to play and a lot of opportunities to get tougher.”
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