The Heels had their first truly bad loss — at least in terms of NCAA tournament resume metrics — on Saturday, losing to Stanford 72-71 in Chapel Hill. The loss will currently go down as a Quad 3 loss — previously all of Carolina’s losses had been Quad 1 losses. One of the few positives the Heels had on their resume is now gone.
Now UNC must turn their attention to an in-state opponent. The game versus Wake Forest takes on additional importance for the Heels. UNC doesn’t need the Stanford loss to turn into a losing streak, and a road win over a local rival would help wash away the loss to the Cardinal.