By the numbers: UNC’s defense nearly sets records in shocking upset loss to SMU

North Carolina’s defensive collapse Saturday in a 97-83 loss on the road vs. SMU was bad. No no, let me rephrase that: North Carolina’s defensive collapse Saturday on the road vs. SMU in a 97-83 loss was catastrophically, historically horrific. 

The Tar Heels allowed the Mustangs to post a 71.7% effective field goal percentage while finishing with a 139.9 defensive rating. Both marks, according to the KenPom.com database that includes game data all the way back to 1997 (!!), are second-worst in a single game for an historically proud UNC program. 

The 71.7% effective goal percentage is the sixth-highest percentage a major conference team has finished with this season in a game when facing another major conference opponent, per CBB Reference data. 

UNC coach Hubert Davis postgame did not have immediate answers about how to fix the troubles that ailed his team on D in the loss. But he did have an answer about what happened Saturday, which more or less came down to two words: Boopie Miller.

SMU’s Miller sliced and diced UNC’s defense to the tune of 27 points and 12 assists and controlled the game throughout. He scored or assisted on 57 SMU points. Davis said Miller with the ball was dangerous as a shooter, but he was just as lethal when UNC tried to take the ball out of his hands. It was a catch-22 for the Tar Heels defense — and either way Boopie was bopping his team to buckets.

“They were able to get anywhere that they wanted to offensively,” Davis said. “Boopie was in control of the ball, whether it was one-on-one, ball screen action. His patience, being able to get to his spots, being able to distribute … from an offensive standpoint, we tried to get the ball out of his hands, but he still was able to get the ball to his teammates at the right spot to do something with it. He played a terrific game.”

Miller’s 12 assists tied a career-high and his 27 points are the third-highest in a single-game in his career, which began in 2022. He finished 10 of 13 shooting. And worse: UNC’s defense was so brutal that it wasn’t the only career day for an SMU player. Mustangs forward Corey Washington also set a career-high with five made 3s in the win on seven attempts. He finished with 23 points, which set a new career-high in points for him vs. major conference opponents. 

Davis said SMU’s athleticism, length and physicality “affected [us].” He also said Boopie controlling the game the way he did was tough to contend against. But he minced no words about the real problem Saturday.

“We shot 48% from the field,” Davis said, implying that such efficiency on offense is usually a strong-enough number to get a win. “But it’s the defensive end. You’re not going to win hardly any games at all if a team shoots 60%.”

“It always starts and ends with us with defense, rebounding and taking care of the basketball,” he added. “And defensively we just didn’t play the way we needed to to beat a team here on the road.”

No stopping them now

The 97 points scored by SMU on Saturday are the sixth most points allowed by UNC since the 2010-11 season.

DateOpponentFinal ScoreResultNov. 27, 2022Alabama103-101 (4OT)LossDec. 17, 2016Kentucky103-100LossFeb. 8, 2020Duke98-96 (OT)LossJan. 22, 2022Wake Forest98-76LossDec. 18, 2021Kentucky98-69Loss Jan. 3, 2026 SMU 97-83 LossMarch 29, 2019Auburn97-80Loss

Over the last five seasons in ACC regular season play, 25 teams have shot 60% or better from the field vs. a conference opponent. Only one of those teams went on to win. The evidence is clear: When a team gets that hot, or when your defense is that bad, you have to be nearly flawless to win. 

This was an eye-opener for UNC and for Davis. They are not good enough to overcome defensive incompetence. That’s the bad, and obvious, news. The good news is that UNC has largely been fine on that end and it has the potential to improve. After Saturday, though, virtually anything would qualify as improvement after what SMU’s offense did to it.

“Again, it goes back to defense,” Davis said. “For us to be the best team we can possibly become, we have to be a good defensive team. SMU shot 60% from the field. That’s not going to get it done.”