ACC Basketball Power Rankings: Duke Blue Devils gelling at the right time

DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA - FEBRUARY 10: Teammates Jordan Goldwire #14, Wendell Moore Jr. #0 and Tre Jones #3 of the Duke Blue Devils react after a play against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on February 10, 2020 in Durham, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA – JANUARY 25: Brandon Robinson #4 of the North Carolina Tar Heels (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /

15. North Carolina 10-15 (3-11 ACC)

It has become impossible to justify having the North Carolina Tar Heels anywhere but at the bottom at this point of the season as things have gone from bad to worse for Roy Williams’ group. The Tar Heels have lost five straight games, including a 17-point loss at Wake Forest. Cole Anthony returned against Boston College but despite scoring at least 15 points in every game back UNC has no wins in that timeframe.

North Carolina turned in a solid offensive performance against Duke (96 points, 52.2% from the field) but they still lost amid some tough calls from the refs and a clutch performance from Tre Jones. The Tar Heels still fail to strike any sort of fear in opponents from the perimeter. They shot 31.6% from 3-point range against Florida State, 25% against Duke, 6.3% against Wake Forest, and 30% on Saturday against Virginia. With teams not respecting the Tar Heel shooters, it’s easy to see why Anthony and co. often find no space when probing for driving lanes.

Cole Anthony was visibly frustrated after taking an elbow to the head and coming up bloodied against Virginia, a game that UNC only lost by 2. Though the Tar Heels have played in some close matchups, five straight losses make them a worthy last-place team. They have back-to-back road matchups with Notre Dame and Louisville coming up next.