CREMINS, CHARLESTON UPSET NO. 9 TAR HEELS

Andrew Goudelock's long three-pointer tied the game with two seconds left in regulation, Donavan Monroe gave College of Charleston the lead for good with a three to start overtime as Bobby Cremins’ Cougars beat No. 9 North Carolina 82-79 on Monday night.

The Tar Heels (11-4) had trailed most of the game, but used a late run to take a 72-61 lead with four minutes remaining. That's when Goudelock and the Cougars (8-6) got going and the UNC offense ground to a near halt.

Goudelock scored the last 8 points in regulation, including the fadeaway triple from about 28 feet with 6'10" Ed Davis in his face to tie the game at 73 each.

Some games are difficult to figure out, some are easy.

Last year, the Tar Heels had trouble defending the three. In their few losses, an opposing guard lit them up for big numbers. This team is currently suffering from the same problem, but it lacks the leadership and firepower to overcome its defensive lapses.

A simple telling statistic is that Charleston outscored UNC from behind the three-point line 39-3. North Carolina outrebounded Charleston 56-36 and was 24 of 34 from the line and that is what kept them in the game. But, the Tar Heels shot 38 percent, were only 1 of 6 on three-pointers and forced just 10 turnovers. Game over.

Ol’ Roy was already miffed about the Heels being outscored 23-2 down the stretch in their last game against Albany, so this late fade was no doubt even more sour tasting.

Overrated North Carolina is 1-4 this season in games not played on their home court. They look more like a top 20 team on many occasions than a top 10 team. (That’s a horrible sentence, but you get the point.) This should come as no big shock for a team that lost 74.8% of its scoring and the overwhelming majority of its poise to the NBA after last seasons’ championship run.

Clearly, North Carolina can and does restock with tremendous raw talent, but it takes a while (and a few punches in the nose like last night) for these kids to realize they aren’t in high school any more where they dominated every night. Saying you understand how hard you have to play and how well you have to execute every night is one thing – learning to do it night after night in a tough environment clearly takes a little longer.

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