Tomas Woldetensae continued North Carolina's season of misery when the Virginia guard hit a 3-pointer from the corner with 0.8 seconds left to lift the Cavaliers to a 64-62 win at the Dean E. Smith Center on Saturday night. It was North Carolina's fifth straight loss and third straight Saturday home defeat that came down to the final possession.
The Tar Heels (10-15, 3-11 ACC) have not won since star freshman Cole Anthony returned to the lineup on Feb. 1 after missing nearly two months due to knee surgery. And the losses have been especially cruel.
First came a 71-70 loss to Boston College two weeks ago that ended with Anthony firing an air ball at the buzzer. Then, last Saturday, the Tar Heels lost in excruciating fashion to archival Duke after having late leads in both regulation and overtime.
This time, it was North Carolina coming from behind in the final minute but falling just short. Graduate transfer Christian Keeling hit three free throws with 10 seconds left to put the Tar Heels ahead 62-61, but Kihei Clark found Woldetensae in the corner, and the freshman guard got free with a pump fake and then his sixth 3-pointer of the night to clinch the victory.
Woldetensae led the Cavaliers (17-7, 9-5 ACC) with 18 points. The win was Virginia's fifth in its last six games. The defending national champions entered the weekend projected as an 11-seed in the NCAA Tournament, according to CBS Sports bracketology expert Jerry Palm.