UNC experienced mixed success over the break. The Tar Heels grabbed impressive finishes by both track and field teams, while the women’s basketball team protected home court at the newly renovated Carmichael Auditorium. But men’s basketball suffered two losses in five games, and the football team fell 19-17 in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.
The break was not kind to the UNC men’s basketball team. It began with a 103-90 loss in Cowboys Stadium to No. 2 Texas. After three straight wins against overmatched opponents Marshall, Rutgers and Albany, the Tar Heels traveled to South Carolina to face College of Charleston. A lack of guard play and a furious comeback by the Cougars handed UNC a 82-79 overtime loss — one of the worst losses in the Roy Williams era.
After a second straight 8-4 regular season that included a final loss to N.C. State, UNC traveled to Charlotte for the Meineke Car Care Bowl to face No. 17 Pittsburgh. The Tar Heels went up 7-0 early after a spectacular catch by Greg Little, but wouldn’t see the lead again until late in the third quarter. With less than a minute remaining, a Pitt field goal sent the Tar Heels back to Chapel Hill.
The men’s track and field team came in second place in the Tar Heel Invitational with first-place finishes by Donte Nall, Edward Baldwin III, Parker Smith and Ian Williamson.
