Coleman Scott questions UNC wrestling's toughness after 22-15 loss to Virginia

With a 12-3 lead over Virginia, it looked like the North Carolina wrestling team was finally going to put it all together. A win would have given UNC two straight conference wins with a favorable match against Duke coming up. The middling program was poised to take a step forward.

But at the first sign of adversity, the Tar Heels (6-6, 1-3 ACC) folded and lost, 22-15, to the Cavaliers (9-5, 1-2 ACC) on Saturday even though they appeared to have the more talented side. The skill may have been there, but the focus, discipline and toughness were lacking.

“Talent is nothing in this sport,” head coach Coleman Scott said. “We didn’t deserve to win that match and we didn’t earn anything.”

In the first five bouts, North Carolina churned out four decisive victories. First-year Devin Kane set the tone right away with a near fall and dominated his match at 165 pounds, while sophomore Cory Daniel secured a winning decision with a takedown in the final period of the 285-pound match.

While it was a strong start, Scott was upset that his team left points on the board.

“We did a nice job and were able to build some early momentum,” Scott said. “Devin was right there to get us a bonus point and he gives up a point late, so it’s frustrating.”

After No. 7 Jack Mueller of Virginia dominated a struggling James Szymanski in the 125-pound bout — his major decision victory cut UNC’s lead from 9 to 5. The outcome was expected, but UNC had no reason to panic with Nicholas Lirette and No. 5 Joey Ward next in line for the Tar Heels.

North Carolina didn’t expect to completely unravel.

In Lirette’s match against Will Mason, Lirette appeared to suffer an elbow injury early when his arm twisted uncomfortably. After receiving attention from the trainers, Lirette tried to continue but he couldn’t tolerate the pain and defaulted to give Virginia six points.

“Nick better start changing who he’s wrestling for,” Scott said. “He’s not wrestling for the team right now. He’s young, but you just can’t do that.”

From the stands, you could see Lirette wincing and holding his arm, but Scott believed he should have been able to finish his match.

“I’ve never thrown in the towel for somebody,” Scott said. “That was ridiculous. There’s a difference between being hurt and injured, and he’s fine right now.”

Even with the default from Lirette and Virginia grabbing a 13-12 lead, the Tar Heels had to feel good about Ward’s chances to come through against No. 7 George DiCamillo. Instead, Ward got pinned and Virginia took a commanding 19-12 lead with just two matches remaining.

Ward simply didn’t look like himself, as he was unable to escape DiCamillo and got himself in a worse position, allowing his opponent to pounce.

“Whenever we start listening as a whole, we’ll start winning more,” Scott said. “Joey didn’t make smart decisions, and we can’t win when we make mental mistakes.”

@david_adler94

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