COLUMBUS, Ohio — Imposing forces tugged at the Huskies’ shirttails Sunday, dragging them, inevitably toward another afternoon of anguish.
At one end, Coby White peppered them with perimeter shots and Luke Maye tormented them inside with mid-range jumpers to power a high-octane Tar Heels offense.
And the other, Washington’s legacy of falling short against the nation’s best teams dogged a team that was looking for its biggest win in nine years.
Ultimately, this game ended – and this season – with a resounding thud as No. 1 North Carolina raced out to a double-digit lead and didn’t look back, cruising to an 81-59 victory to halt the ninth-seeded Huskies’ return to the NCAA tournament after an eight-year absence in the Round of 32.