UNC Basketball Coach on Loss: 'Great Learning Experience for Us'

UNC basketball has no time to sulk, for the Tar Heels' next six games are against capable opponents.

UNC basketball center Armando Bacot guards Villanova's Eric Dixon (Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports)

Despite season-high scoring totals from UNC basketball newcomers Harrison Ingram (20 points) and Cormac Ryan (18), the 14th-ranked Tar Heels (4-1) never found an answer to Villanova's Eric Dixon (34 points, 10 rebounds) on Thursday afternoon at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.

They fell to the unranked Wildcats (5-1) in overtime of their semifinal contest, 83-81.

"At the end of the day, Eric Dixon kicked our tail," third-year UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis noted to the media afterward.

The excessive whistles, resulting in Ingram, Jae'Lyn Withers, and Elliot Cadeau fouling out for the Tar Heels, certainly did not help UNC's chances down the stretch. On the other hand, graduate big man Armando Bacot was less than stellar, both as an overpowered defender against Dixon and shy post presence on offense (earning zero trips to the foul line).

Villanova senior forward Eric Dixon was ELITE in a win over #14 North Carolina today.

Had a 34 point, 10 rebound double-double against one of the nation’s best big men in Armando Bacot.

UNC had no answers for Dixon’s versatility. How many other bigs can do stuff like this? ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/MQOxc8dHVv

— CBB Roundup (@CBBRoundup) November 24, 2023

No worries. Not yet, anyway. It was simply the first "learning experience" of the loss variety this season for Davis, his staff, and the players.

"Obviously, we're disappointed that we didn't win," Davis explained. "But I was very proud of the effort of the guys. I thought they competed. And I thought when plays needed to be made, they made them. We just came up short. This is a great learning opportunity for us to grow, moving forward to tomorrow and for the remainder of the year.

"We're going to be in these situations again. It's just a great learning experience for us."  

UNC looks to bounce back and leave the Bahamas on a positive note when it faces No. 20 Arkansas (4-3) on Friday at 1 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

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However, the Tar Heels' slate doesn't get any easier after that.

No, just the opposite. They host another physical bunch, No. 7 Tennessee, in Chapel Hill on Wednesday night as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge.

Then, UNC welcomes Florida State to the Dean E. Smith Center on Dec. 2 (ACC opener) before three straight daunting non-conference bouts: versus No. 5 UConn in New York City on Dec. 5 (Jimmy V Classic), No. 16 Kentucky in Atlanta on Dec. 16 (CBS Sports Classic), and Oklahoma, unranked but 6-0, in Charlotte on Dec. 20 (Jumpman Invitational).

Including the matchup against Arkansas, that's six conceivable losses (or wins, of course) across the team's next six games.

Yes, these Tar Heels will need to learn from their season's first defeat quickly. Otherwise, losses pile up.

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