Heel Yeah, UNC Should Be Worried

First off, sorry for the lapse in posts. I spent my time over my break designing a nursery for the new addition to the family that will be coming in April.

My child's imminent arrival is a sure thing come the second week of April. The same cannot be said for a national championship's arrival in Chapel Hill. What once looked as a coronation at the end of the season is now very much in question for Roy Williams and the Tar Heels.

So why has what only a few weeks ago was considered the second coming of an early 90s UNLV become a sinking team in the top 10?

Well for starters, and I do not mean to sound redundant, but this team lacks the ability to mentally withstand a challenge when another team hits it between its eyes. Tyrese Rice's performance against Ty Lawson serves as a perfect example of this. And it should have served as a wake-up call to the guard and the rest of the team. However, we saw Jeff Teague again get inside of Lawson's head and out perform "the best point guard in the country."

Not only is Lawson not the best point guard in the country, he is not the best point guard in his own league. That honor now belongs to Teague.

And the honor of best team in the league now bleongs to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Lawson is not alone in his inability to stand up to the challenge. Wayne Ellington only decided to show up in the last five minutes Sunday night. Larry the Cable Guy had a better chance of winning a Golden Globe Sunday night than the Philadelphia native did of making a big shot.

Add to this Deon Thompson's regression since Tyler Hansbrough has returned full-time, and Heels fans have witnessed a team that does not play effective defense and can score inconsistently at best as a team.

Speaking of Hansbrough, when UNC needed a big three Sunday night, Hansbrough took it at the end of the second half. This falls on Roy Williams for letting his team do anything they want. The senior ESPN posterboy for doing it all right shot too early in the shot clock. And, at that juncture in the game, Hansbrough should be under the basket when a three is taken to battle for a rebound and second-chance put back.

A lack of mental toughness, a lack of defense and a lack of discipline make the 2009 squad no different from the Heels that failed to show up against Georgetown in the NCAA tournament two years ago and last year's group that was a no-go in the first half against Kansas in the Final Four.

If something does not change, this team will match the accomplishments of those two teams--empty-handed come the first week of April.