How UNC Can Bounce Back From Historic Loss

North Carolina took on in-state rival North Carolina State on Tuesday. The Tar Heels are ranked No. 16 in the nation and have historically had NC State's number. Normally, this would have been another routine game for UNC, but they are missing their star player, Caleb Wilson.

Give credit to the Wolfpack. They took advantage of the opportunity and demolished the Tar Heels in an 82-58 win. This was UNC’s worst loss to the Wolfpack dating back to 1985.

How can UNC bounce back from this embarrassing loss?

Hubert Davis has to take control

Head coach Hubert Davis has to coach without his star frontcourt, and therefore, all eyes are on him. Davis must take over and have his team focus on what they can control. One thing they can control is intensity and effort, which they lacked against the Wolfpack on Tuesday. Davis openly admitted that the Tar Heels were overmatched versus the Wolfpack.

"I just felt like our competitive fight wasn't there, especially from a defensive standpoint," Davis said. "They didn't feel us defensively. They didn't feel our presence at all. We talked about how, at the end of the day, it's going to end up being one-on-one defense.

"Can we defend them without fouling? Are we man enough when the ball goes up in the air and on the ground, can we go get it? And I don't think we did a very good job of that."

It is understandable if UNC is lacking a presence down low, shot creation and fast break points with the loss of Wilson and Henri Veesaar. Competitiveness is not understandable, especially going against an in-state rival.

A top-25 UNC team loses to NC State by 24. That is flat-out embarrassing. Davis has to be better with controllable things. That is all the fanbase wants and expects. This team has talent outside of Wilson and Veesaar, but can Davis step up and bring the talent out?

Stick to what works

The Tar Heels will obviously not be the same team without Wilson and Veesaar, but do not try to be something that you are not. With the loss of the star frontcourt, UNC has to stick to what has been working and keep the rest of the team in their comfort zone.

UNC has not been an overall good 3-point shooting team all season. What did the Tar Heels do against the Wolfpack? They shot 33 3-pointers, and unsurprisingly, it did not work. UNC finished the game 5-33 from 3-point range.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel and become a team that you have not been all season. Keep attacking the glass and getting out on the fast break. Obviously, missing Wilson will diminish the success of fast break opportunities, but when a playmaker like Derex Dixon is the point guard, the Tar Heels can still generate easy buckets on the break.

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