Ranked No. 8 in the country entering the weekend, the North Carolina men’s basketball team dropped two straight contests to unranked foes in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Tournament.
UNC lost to Minnesota 72-67 on Friday night and followed up that performance with a 72-65 loss to Vanderbilt on Sunday.
“I don’t like being here in the scenario, to say the least, after losing two nights in a row, but it’s what it is,” UNC coach Roy Williams said in a press release.
Junior Tyler Zeller posted a double-double on Sunday, recording 20 points and 10 rebounds against Vanderbilt.
The Commodores had three players with 15 points or more to pace the SEC team.
“They made us play defense, for sometimes 35 seconds and we would have a breakdown,” Williams said in the release. “We’ve got to get guys that won’t have breakdowns.”
Saturday’s game against Minnesota saw freshman star Harrison Barnes go 0-for-12 from the field with six points.
He rebounded from his paltry performance on Sunday by scoring 11 points in his fourth collegiate game.