I’m really glad we have Caleb Love but man he just plays when he feels like it. He is FULL of gifted talent but doesn’t have a motor. It seems he has everything but the mental aspect to lock in and play hard all the time. He could be the best player on the court 99% of the time but I just don’t get it. Glad to see Dunn get run but I still don’t know if Hubert knows his bench roles/rotation and we’re in ACC play ..Go Heels

Is this the curse of the tick, the curse of our program, even biting mighty Ohio State?

I feel so sorry for what this kid has to endure over the next few days.

UNC has now lost more games before January than any pre-season #1 in 40 years.

That's the kind of negative first that moist expect to come from the football team.

I am here and have a lot of clips coming. Also, two updates.

Early in the 2nd, Kansas State leads Bama 10-7. But the Tide now has 1st and Goal at the 2. Bama takes the lead 14-10.

Before Bill Snyder (a protege of Hayden Frye, like the Stoops boys) went to K-St, the Wildcats were problem the worst all time football program in any Major conference. Before Snyder, the KU football program was a terrifying giant compared to K-St. Since Snyder, K-St has been a consistent winner. That in a state that produces maybe a quarter of the football talent that NC produces.

The Right coach at even the most hapless school can more than just win - he also can leave such a legacy that the program remains a winner well into the future.

The current K-St HC is something of an antithesis to Mack. Rather be all about out-recruiting opponents, Chris Klieman focuses on developing talent and making all players master fundamentals. The football culture is one of toughness and fight. They welcome being underdogs and relish proving to the prettier recruits elsewhere that they will outwork them.

UNC football now has, and for sometime past has had, a soft football culture. If Mack Brown had any ability to alter that, surely he could have done it within 4 seasons. If not, then hemal not live long enough to get it done. UNC football needs the Bill Dooley style off football culture that permeates every part of the program, and especially the OL and DL. A coach like Chris Klieman would install it. Mack will keep focusing on his silver tongue to smooth over the failures and weaknesses.

Mack or Hubert?

...and too much of that just smelled.

Starting with the blue-on-blue nonsense (that shouldn't ever be allowed), this game picked up a more ominous stench fairly early on, which unfortunately cast a pall over everything else (more on that below). Anyway..

- it was apparent that we had worked on defensive rotation in 20 vs their dribble drives and kick-outs, as well as challenging the 3-ball Pitt relies upon so much.

- it was also apparent the we had worked on reclaiming space in the post by kicking out when needed and being patient before initiating drives off entries.

- on that note, it sure looked like Mando's shoulder was feeling better, as Pitt couldn't do anything with him but foul --- and foul him they did... trouble is, maybe 1/5 of them were actually called.

- we did a nice job of estab;lishing a sub rotation in the first half, which paid off as we closed the half --- but unfortunately we did not do that in the second half, and the fatigue factor hurt us at a key time.

- our biggest self-inflicted issue was slowing down in the second half, thus allowing Pitt to dictate tempo, and part of that was from the aforementioned fatigue

- on that note, Hubert SHOULD have called timeout around the 9:30 mark. I realize he was waiting for the under-8 or a whistle, welp... good luck with the latter with this zebra crew

And herein lies the skunk(s) in the room.

Folks, this was a game that, running its natural course, had the flow of being a competitive but routine win. Particularly with us keeping their 3s under control, we were on the verge of blowing it open early, and more than once, but EVERY time that was about to happen the zebras would make some bad/invented/inexplicable momentum-changing call against us.

Oh, I'm sure some will scoff, but this was something that was so sore-thumb clunky that I noticed it fairly early on in the first half, while we were controlling the game, even remarking out loud, "man, are these guys trying to keep it inside the spread?" I hoped I was only being sarcastic, but even then something smelled. Then, I look up after the first-half under-4 and Pitt has 1 (!) team foul? Somewhere around the 2:30 mark Mando finally goes to the line, after having been fouled pretty obviously on most of his touches.

Look, everyone who follows the ACC knows how Capel and Pitt plays UNC, and we're no strangers to that sort of "physical" play and/or numbnuts officiating enabling it. And Pitt got jump-the-shark physical in the second half to the point where it had to get called more often, but it was the zebras' uncanny timing throughout this game that, well again, just smelled. I'll just leave it by saying that I HOPE that what I saw was just incompetence...

Anyway, as a general lesson from our end, we need to stop playing "not to lose" in second halves. We must stay committed to transition, tempo and aggression. We also need to make sure our guys are fresh enough to exert max effort while they're on the floor...

Anyone have any info on potential Herls injuries? The radio crew said after halftime yesterday that Nance had spent the entire halftime stretching and then he played very little in the 2nd half.

Also, saw a couple of pictures on social media with Leaky in a walking boot.

SI has an article about the future of bowls in light of the expansion of the playoffs.

UNC became the first Pre Season No. 1 team to lose 5 games the Fastest in 40 Seasons. What is it going to take????? I am just lost for Words not Mad just don't get it.I didn't watch the game because I was at work. Figured this was going to Happen UGGHHHH!!!!!

Discussion
In another damn loss to Pitt, the Heels found themselves in another slow-tempo game where they allowed the opponent to do what they wanted inside on offense. Pitt shot 63% inside the arc, resulting in 1.00 points per possession. The Heels had a good offensive outing with 0.94 points per possession.