Hunched in his chair, the 6-foot-10 forward attempted to explain how his team’s lead — which once stood at 15 points — evaporated in a matter of minutes during Saturday’s 80-76 loss.
He could point to the Fighting Irish’s second-chance points, of which there were 23, and their 38 trips to the free throw line. Or even Notre Dame’s 19-0 edge in points off turnovers.
But as was the case earlier this season and in past ones, too, it was a lack of toughness that Johnson, his teammates and Coach Roy Williams believed was at the root of their downfall.
“We didn’t play tough enough today,” Johnson said. “They just out-toughed us.”
Whether it was after surrendering an offensive board or not hustling for a loose ball, the Tar Heels (19-4, 8-2 ACC) kept searching for toughness throughout Saturday’s game, no more so than in the second half.
Toward the end of the first period, it looked as if UNC wouldn’t need much toughness, if any, to defeat the Fighting Irish (16-7, 7-4 ACC).
With less than three minutes remaining before halftime, the Tar Heels led 37-22 and senior guard Marcus Paige looked like his old self, shedding his recent shooting woes to make four first-half 3-pointers.
But after trimming UNC’s lead to nine points before halftime, Notre Dame had established momentum. The Fighting Irish tied the game at 48 with 12:23 left before outworking the Tar Heels and taking the lead for good with 6:34 remaining.
