bgorman@heraldsun.com; 419-6668
CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina began the season with a pile of expectations placed upon them.
Despite losing four starters to the NBA after winning their second national championship in four years in April, the Tar Heels returned some experience, had a trio of talented big men and added five freshmen. All that resulted in a No. 6 preseason ranking as well as being picked to finish, with Duke, as co-champions of the ACC.
But after Wednesday's loss to Wake Forest, No. 24 UNC (12-7, 1-3 ACC) has lost three straight for the first time in the Roy Williams era and finds itself in an unfamiliar position, ranked second to last in the ACC.
And while the Tar Heels -- who will more than likely drop out of the poll for the first time since Feb. 2006 today -- may not be where many people expected them to be at this point in the season, it's not a complete shock they have lost four of their last five games during this rebuilding year.
Here's a look at some of the reasons why UNC has struggled the last few weeks.
Injury bug
Five players have missed at least one game so far this season because of an injury and the only game the Tar Heels' have had their full roster available the past five games resulted in a win over Virginia Tech.
In the Tar Heels' overtime loss at the College of Charleston on Jan. 4, which was the start of the slide, starters Marcus Ginyard and Will Graves both missed the game with sprained right ankles, and Ed Davis, UNC's second-leading scorer and top rebounder, sat out the Wake Forest loss with a sprained left ankle.
But the biggest blow came Jan. 14 when the Tar Heels discovered Tyler Zeller would miss four to six weeks with a stress fracture in his right foot. Zeller, UNC's tallest player at 7-0, is the team's third-leading scorer and rebounder and has already missed games against Clemson, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest -- all losses.
Typical freshmen class
During the 2005-06 season -- the last time UNC was coming off a national championship -- the Tar Heels relied heavily on a talented group of freshmen to finish 23-8 overall. Tyler Hansbrough led the team with 18.9 points and 7.8 rebounds, Danny Green was fourth-leading scorer with 7.5 points while Bobby Frasor (6.4 points) and Marcus Ginyard (6.3 points) also contributed.
But while the 2005-06 freshmen played beyond their years according to Williams, this year's class has struggled to catch on.
No freshmen averages double figures -- Dexter Strickland leads the group with 5.7 points -- and while some freshmen have showed flashes of promise no one has been consistent from game to game.
"I think this group of freshman is probably a normal group but [the 2005-06] one was the unusual group in my opinion," said Williams a few weeks ago. "They were just off the charts with their savvy, off the charts with their feel for the game."
Veteran struggles
But the five freshmen were also not expected to carry the Tar Heels this season. UNC returned a starter, a fifth-year senior, and four other players who had seen significant playing time and the freshmen were supposed to compliment them.
Instead, the veterans are dealing with struggles of their own.
Senior Deon Thompson, the Tar Heels' lone returning starter, and Davis were expected to dominate inside but they have disappeared at times this season and have not played well against physical opponents. Thomspon has not had a 20-point game since a win over Nevada on Nov. 29, and Davis was a combined 6 of 19 against Clemson and Georgia Tech before sitting out against Wake Forest. The pair are the only players averaging double figures as Thompson (14.8) holds the slight scoring edge over Davis (14.7).
Also starting point guard, sophomore Larry Drew II, has turned the ball over 14 times the past three games, while dishing out 20 assists.
But probably the biggest surprise is how bad fifth-year senior Ginyard is playing. Since missing three games with a sprained right ankle, Ginyard is 6 for 20 with 10 turnovers during the past four games and at some moments has not looked 100 percent. Ginyard was expected to be the leader that brought this young team together, much like David Noel did in 2005-06, but the injuries that have caused him to miss four games this season have not allowed him to be the leader he wants to be.
Williams said the best way to lead is by example and it's something Ginyard has not done yet.
"The bottom line is I feel like I should be playing a little better out there and being a leader on the court," said Ginyard before the loss to Georgia Tech.
Despite the 1-3 hole UNC has dug itself into in ACC play, the players said after the loss to Wake Forest they still feel like they can turn the season around. Williams admitted he and his team are frustrated at how they're playing, and the Tar Heels' confidence is shaken.
But the team had a six-day break to regroup before Tuesday's matchup at N.C. State (9 p.m., Raycom) and the players said they're not giving up on the season just yet.
"If we keep fighting and keep trying to get better we've got a chance," Ginyard said. "But if we give in we've got no shot."
