UNCASVILLE, Conn.—We learned something about this Carolina team today.
The Tar Heels had taken their first lead of the game at 65-64 midway through the second half, and an NCAA Tournament-type crowd at the Mohegan Sun was roaring.
But then Purdue, a team with all five starters returning from last year's very good club, responded the way you would expect. A 10-0 Boilermaker run ensued, and it felt like that might be the game. A nine-point deficit with six minutes to play against a team as good as Purdue was a stout challenge, maybe too stout for a Carolina team that was already without senior Leaky Black.