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Off the cuff: UNC coach Hubert Davis seemed at a loss for words after the Tar Heels' showing in Bloomington, speaking in generalities.

He said Indiana's Trayce Jackson-Davis was able to create offense around the basket, helping lead the Hoosiers to a whopping 50-24 scoring edge in the paint. Yes, he did.

He said Carolina's best players have to play well and do so consistently. Yes, they do.

He said teams have been physical against the Heels. Yes, they have.

He said his players haven't been able to generate offense. No, they haven't.

And he said fatigue had nothing to do with the loss. Gosh, I hope he's wrong about that one because, if not, this could be a long season.

Carolina played three tough games in Portland in four days, including a quadruple overtime game, and then went to Indiana without returning home.

The Tar Heels didn't play with the same energy as the Hoosiers did.

Carolina hung with Indiana in the first half despite going five minutes with hitting a field goal and with Armando Bacot scoring only one basket.

In the second half, the Heels looked dead in their tracks.

Former UNC great Eric Montross, speaking as the color commentator on the Tar Heels Sports Network, was unusually critical of the team.

During a 9-2 Indiana run in the second half in which the Heels hit just one of seven shots, Montross said the Tar Heels had no sense of urgency.

After the game, the usually upbeat, glass-half-full Montross said he was concerned about how the Tar Heels lost moreso than the fact that they lost. He said the offense wanted so much to feed the post that they forced it. But his biggest criticism was that the effort wasn't there.

This could indicate a deeper problem. What's going on with chemistry? Are there conflicts between players? Are some players selfish? Why aren't the players motivated? Why can't Coach Davis elevate the players to their potential right now?

Finally, Indiana played well and deserved to win the game. But did you notice that Indiana players argued every call against them the entire game? Not sure if that reflects Indiana's coach Mike Woodson or not but he needs to get a handle on that.

Carolina has an all-time losing 6-10 record against Indiana. As an old timer, there are a handful of non-conference teams that I particular "hate" losing to and Indiana is one of them. Others include Kentucky, Kansas and Texas.

Did you see that Jay Bilas came out with his all-time ACC team. He had Virginia's Ralph Sampson, Wake's Tim Duncan, Carolina's Michael Jordan, Duke's Christian Laettner and State's David Thompson.

Hard to argue with but, as much as I love Jordan's game, he was not the best player in Carolina basketball history so he shouldn't be on the first team.

In fact, I might put Jordan third or fourth, maybe even the fifth best Tar Heel. Now, of course, he ultimately was the best based on his NBA play.

But in college, I'd have Phil Ford and Tyler Hansbrough ahead of him and maybe Lennie Rosenbluth too. Others competing with him include Billy Cunningham, Charlie Scott, Antawn Jamison and Larry Miller,

I might also try to get Maryland's Len Bias on the all-time ACC team.

Indiana 77, Carolina 65
Tar Heels drop third in a row at Indiana

North Carolina, No. 1 in the nation a week ago, have a long way to go to ever get close to that again this season as the Tar Heels dropped their third in a row at No. 10 Indiana, 77-65. (11/30)

While the first half was relatively even, the Tar Heels managed to lead on the scoreboard for less than two minutes and trailed 35-29 at the break.

While Carolina hit a season-low 33.9 shooting percentage, Indiana shot 50 percent and outscored the Heels in the paint 50-24.

With their star player Armando Bacot struggling with a tender ankle and a banged up shoulder and in foul trouble, Carolina seemed deflated, especially after a rough tournament in Portland.

"There was no fatigue," UNC coach Hubert Davis said. "All credit to Indiana. They just beat us."

An energized Hoosiers team went on an 11-4 run out of the lockerroom to separate themselves from the Tar Heels at 46-31.

Carolina had a chance to cut it to two possessions but R.J. Davis first was stripped of the ball, which led to an Indiana layup, and then missed a long three that would have cut it to six. The Tar Heels never got closer that seven in the second half at 59-52.

"Our better players have to play well," Coach Davis said. "Not only do our better players have to play well, thay have to play well consistently."

Eight Carolina players played nine minutes or more and four of them scored in double figures. Pete Nance led the Tar Heels with 15 points and 12 rebounds but he hit only one of seven from beyond the arc.

Caleb Love scored 13 points but he only managed five of 16 from the field. Bacot picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds in only 28 minutes of play. R.J. Davis rounded out the double-figure scorers with 11 points but he shot only four of 11 and turned the ball over three times.

Indiana, now 7-0, was led by Trayce Jackson-Davis, who had 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Xavier Johnson, who scored 20 points.

Carolina, 5-3, opens ACC play at Virginia Tech Sunday at 3 p.m.

Box score

UNC's Pete Nance scored 15 points and hauled in 12 rebounds to keep the Tar Heels in the game against Indiana. (UNC Sports Information photo by Maggie Hobson.)

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