2013-2014 UNC basketball
The Schedule
The Results (24-10) (click each game for an analysis)
Heartbreaking end to 2014
Tar Heels
fought adversity before the season, during the season and in the final game of the season
A cloud hung over the 2013-2014 season from the beginning with academic fraud allegations involving UNC athletes and with PJ Hairston in trouble with the law and the NCAA. Plus, Leslie McDonald was under NCAA review. Two key players sat on the bench for the beginning of the season until McDonald was reinstated and Hairston, the top shooter on the team, was not.
The Tar Heels worked McDonald back into the mix after young guys saw plenty of playing time early. The transition was sometimes smooth, sometimes rough. It was an inconsistent season to say the least, as UNC coach Roy Williams would say.
After a tough start to the ACC season, the Tar Heels reeled off 12 straight wins in impressive fashion, including a victory over Duke at home. Carolina went into the ACC Tournament with a fourth seed, good enough to give them a double bye.
The Tar Heels ran into a hot and hungry Pittsburgh team that shot well and control the boards to oust Carolina from the tourney.
As a No. 6 seed, Carolina fought hard in the first game of the NCAA Tournament, finally coming away with a thrilling win over Providence. The Tar Heels, much maligned for poor free throw shooting throughout the season, won the game on free throws by James Michael McAdoo at the end.
That set up a Round of 32 game against favored Iowa State.
With a key player sidelined by injury and players in foul trouble, the Tar Heels came from behind to take an eight-point lead late, only to see Iowa State hit seven of its last eight shots to eliminate UNC from the NCAA Tournament 85-83. (3/23)
The last shot, by Iowa State's DeAndre Kane, came with 1.6 seconds left to win it.
UNC's James Michael McAdoo had hit two free throws with 15.7 seconds left to tie the score before Kane hit a driving, high-off-the-backboard shot that won it.
What made the loss even more devastating for Carolina was a clock snafu after the Kane shot and the fact that officials didn't see UNC coach Roy Williams calling for a timeout. After several minutes of viewing the video, officials said that the game clock should have started and didn't and proclaimed the game over.
UNC senior Leslie McDonald said that "it hit us hard" that the Heels didn't get a chance to score after Iowa State's late bucket but neither he nor Williams blamed the officials. "Kane just hit an unbelievable shot," McDonald said.
McAdoo, who now must endure the speculation that he might go pro, agreed. "We played it really well. He just hit a tough shot," McAdoo said.
Kane dominated much of the game, scoring a game-high 24 points. But it took a pair of threes by ISU's Naz Long late to put Kane in the situation to win it.
"They made plays down the stretch that they needed to make," Williams said.
Carolina, down by three at the half after trailing by as many as nine, seemed to be the team making the plays in the second half.
A three by McDonald tied the game at 52-all with 13:14. Marcus Paige hit a pair of threes over a three-minute period, including one with 8:18 left to give Carolina a 66-60 lead.
A weaving drive by JP Tokoto followed by a bucket inside from Kennedy Meeks put the Tar Heels in control at 76-68 with 4:21 left.
But that's when things fell apart for the Heels. Paige, usually a steadying force, put up and missed an ill-advised three early in the shot clock. Seconds later, Long hit the first of his two late threes to cut the lead to 76-71 with 3:42 left.
Instead of the Heels up 11 if the Paige three had gone, all of a sudden the lead was just five with plenty of time left.
An offensive foul call on McAdoo gave it right back to Iowa State which hit another three - this one from Morris - to make it 76-74 with just less than three minutes to go.
Meeks, who had been steady subbing for Brice Johnson (out after twisting an ankle just two minutes into the game), rushed what looked like an easy two on a rebound followed and missed.
Again Iowa State capitalized, tying it at 76-76. McDonald hit a three from the left corner to put the Heels up 79-76 with 1:31 to go.
Carolina was still up by three, 81-78, when Long hit his second key three to tie the game at 81 with 51 seconds left.
Paige lost the ball in the lane and Iowa State quickly turned it into a fastbreak bucket by Kane to give ISU an 83-81 lead with 28 seconds to go.
McAdoo drew a foul with 15.7 seconds left and sank both free throws to tie it, setting up the Kane heroics and the devastating ending for Carolina.
Had Carolina players called a timeout immediately after the basket, they could have gotten a decent last second shot that might have won it. After one timeout, the Heels could have gotten it to midcourt and called a second timeout to set up a shot. Instead, it was a gut-wrenching finish to a game and a season.
Five Tar Heels scored in double figures with Paige leading the way with 19 but he also uncharacteristically had no assists and four turnovers. McDonald hit four threes on his way to 18 points. Meeks, getting his highest minutes in a game this season, scored 15 points and hauled in 13 rebounds. McAdoo, who failed to score in the first half and who missed his first six shots, finished with 14 while Tokoto added 11.
North Carolina finished the season at 24-10.
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