It’s difficult to talk about a loss in an encouraging way without coming across as trying to soften the blow. That being said, North Carolina’s loss to Virginia in the ACC Tournament championship game was one where it was difficult to hang your head too much about the result.
Virginia is the number one team in the country for a reason. Their defense is stiffling and their offense is frustratingly efficient. Great teams run into that and have problems. Yes, Virginia was able to control the entire game against the Tar Heels, but Carolina hung right there with them for most of the game.