Pence's Quick Thoughts
In the UNC/Butler preview I told you I could see the UNC loss coming. Its that kind of performance you have to live with early on in the season with a young team. The Heels should cruise past Chaminade, but it will be interesting to see if Roy Williams makes any adjustments to playing time and starters tonight.
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North Carolina was the obvious favorite to cruise to the Maui Invitational championship as the field's only ranked team.
Butler had other ideas.
After being routed in the semifinals, the ninth-ranked Tar Heels are relegated to facing host Chaminade in the third-place game Wednesday night.
North Carolina (4-1) won its first four games by an average of 25.5 points, including a 95-49 blowout of Mississippi State in the first round. The tide turned on the Tar Heels on Tuesday, though, when they trailed by 17 points at halftime and by as many as 29 in the second half in an 82-71 loss to the upstart Bulldogs.
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The Tar Heels will have to settle for third place at best in the 2012 Maui Invitational Tournament after being thoroughly outplayed by Butler on Tuesday night for their first loss of the season.
UNC was overwhelmed by Butlers never ending ball screens and three point shooting attack. They were physically dominated on the boards and scored the fewest points in the first half in 15 years. James Michael McAdoo the player the Tar Heels are counting on to be the leader this season, the guy who looked like a superstar the first four games of the season looked like a confused freshman on the court against Butler. McAdoo committed seven turnovers and grabbed just four rebounds as the Heels were out muscled in the paint to the tune of -9 on the boards and -11 on second chance points.
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