"I don’t know that it’s being surprised, I think it’s just a matter of not feeling right. I didn’t feel right going into the game. I felt guys were just joking around and not taking this game seriously. I knew guys were just not really focused in."
After a week of buildup I would love for Everett Withers to explain how this is even possible. Of course this shouldn't be a surprise. The Butch Davis Era, of which Withers' interim season is a part, has been defined by an inability of UNC teams of the past five years to play at a high level consistently, even in a game like this one which is should be automatic for the players in terms of intensity.
Is it the coaching? The Xs and Os? Players who are not self-motivated? Players who do not self-prepare for opponents? Coaches who do not set the proper tone? All of the above?
Whatever it is, we have had five years of it rearing its head against NC State and a handful of other important games. If there was ever a time for a new AD to come in and clean house, it is right now.