No. 1 North Carolina Lost to UNLV, 90-80
By Jason McIntyre
UNLV trailed by four at halftime, but a torrid second half – especially from 3-point range – was the key to victory. UNLV made an astonishing 13 3-pointers. Oscar Bellfield and Chace Stanback hit four apiece. UNLV’s Mike Moser scored 16 points and collected 18 rebounds.
The biggest surprise was that UNLV, despite being undersized against the NBA-caliber frontline of the Tar Heels, was impressive on the offensive glass (12 offensive rebounds).
UNC’s best player, Harrison Barnes, scored just 15 points – many of those came late, with UNC down big – on 6-of-15 shooting in an ugly performance. Tyler Zeller battled foul trouble in the first half and was held to five points on 1-of-6 shooting.
In the coming hours/days, many of UNC’s defensive woes will be attributed to its point guard, Kendall Marshall, who was repeatedly beaten badly off the dribble, and the sagging help defense allowed the Rebels to make open three-pointers.