The North Carolina basketball roller coaster delivered a whip to UNC fans in six days. A brutal home defeat to Marquette on Wednesday. A fascinating recovery victory over the state of Florida three days later. And now, another punch to the stomach via Syracuse: a 72-70 loss to Orange.
The bumpy journey that left us here with this result should come as no surprise, but it does not make it easier for the UNC to absorb. Tar Heels was a seed 11 in the key for Jerry Palm entering the day, up after a victory over No. 11 in the state of Florida. But Palm made it clear that their inclusion came with a caveat that they are far from safe.
Falling to the Orange does not drastically harm your tournament chances, but is flirting dangerously with the disaster right now, with the margin of error decreasing rapidly. If there is a silver lining here, it is that the drama is bubbling up in North Carolina – the state. This now sets up a juicy end of the regular season on Saturday against Duke that could be the most bubbly blue-blooded battle of the entire season, with both teams pushing everything to the limit while competing for general throws.
With that, here are Monday night’s winners and losers across the basketball scene – from bubble speech to conference drama and everything in between.
Loser: North Carolina tournament profile hit
North Carolina went from a seed of 11 and in the field of 68 to Jerry Palm’s “last four” with his defeat to Syracuse, replacing Georgia Tech. So, yes, still in the field for now, but by a thread. It turns out that committing 20 turns and making just four of the 20 3-point attempts on the Syracuse court does not do much good to the tournament credentials.
Winner: Syracuse is still alive
There is a long list of teams in the bubble, and Syracuse’s 72-70 victory over North Carolina was well enough to keep her in the discussion. Still, Cuse is 0-6 on Quad 1 opportunities and needs not only wins, but Good wins. In 2021, a victory over UNC is not that. Taking down Tar Heels was important in keeping his Big Dance dreams alive, but his resume remains empty.
Loser: Atlantic 10 candidates at-large
Having already won the A-10, St. Bonaventure entered the end of the regular season on Monday against Dayton, simply needing to avoid a defeat because, in Jerry Palm’s wise words, a defeat would put their hopes “in doubt.” But the Bonnies did not cooperate with Palm. Instead, they dropped 55-52 in their lowest-scoring game of the season, delivering a significant blow to their overall bid.
The defeat was one of two brutal A-10 results on Monday, with Richmond dropping 76-73 in a stunning stun against St. Joseph’s – arguably the worst team in the league defeating the preseason favorite. It came brutally, too, with Matt Grace of Richmond hitting a 3-point game that came just after the final horn and was dismissed. It is too early to draw radical conclusions from these results, but it is a pretty overwhelming blow for two teams that entered the night with real hopes of sneaking into Big Dance without the golden ticket to winning the conference tournament.
Winner: Virginia finally back on track
There was no real danger that No. 21 Virginia, a No. 5 seed in Palm’s key, would fall out of the tournament. But three consecutive losses in the past two weeks played him from ACC leader to ACC runner-up in a hurry. He’s been on the water, so getting back on track on Monday against Miami with a 62-51 victory – even against Miami – qualifies as a victory for the title champions. Great confidence builder as he progresses to the regular season finale on Saturday against Louisville.
Loser: Rutgers enters Pinnacle Bank, falls sharply
Maybe yes, certainly – the most impressive result of Monday night: Nebraska 72, Rutgers 51.
Yes, Rutgers scored 51 points and lost to the worst team in the Big Ten by 21 points. It’s Nebraska’s biggest win in a league game since it hit, you guessed it, Rutgers by 34 points in January 2016.
As expected, Western Kentucky handled deals against the FIU on Sunday, winning 91-58. The Hilltoppers followed up with a 71-59 victory against the FIU on Monday to sweep the two-game series. Palm’s reading was that a defeat would have shattered their general hopes and, although a victory does not block them, it absolutely keeps them in the bubble discussion. Winning the C-USA tournament can be the safe way to get a ticket, given your dubious credentials for an at-large.