As much as Ty Lawson not being in the game last night make life difficult for UNC, especially on offense, it is also fairly clear that not having both Lawson and Bobby Frasor healthy at the same time was also a factor as it pertains to the defense.
Back when Frasor went down I wrote the following about what his loss could mean:
I also think not having Frasor could hurt if UNC needs to run a small lineup for defensive purposes as they did versus Nicholls State. If UNC faces a team in the Sweet Sixteen that employs three/four guards, not having Frasor as a defensive option in such a game could hurt.
If you recall, UNC had the same problems on defense last night as they did in the first game in 2007. Duke was hot on the perimeter and there was some serious defensive lapses coming from both Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington. The solution Roy employed was to ride Wes Miller and Bobby Frasor as your basic defensive stoppers to curb the Duke offense. It worked to some extent and Duke's general offensive ineptitude of 2007 did the rest. Looking at what UNC faced last night, it would have been highly beneficial had UNC been able to have both Lawson and Frasor on the court at times with a smaller lineup, I think they could have done a better job guarding the perimeter. Heck, having Frasor playing in place of an injured Lawson or alongside QT might have also been more effective. The bottom line is we could feel the effects of not having the skills and basketball IQ Frasor brings to a game through the rest of the season. Hopefully, the rest of the guys can adequately compensate for it.