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(AP) - Little has gone right for No. 15 North Carolina of late.
The Tar Heels have lost four of five after sitting near the ACC lead in late January. They've twice blown double-digit leads when on the verge of winning on the road against highly ranked opponents - including their fiercest rival. They haven't consistently defended well and are having trouble getting star guard Marcus Paige loose.
It's left them in the awkward position of searching for positives in losses even as they acknowledge programs like this don't play for moral victories.
''We're still composed,'' junior forward J.P. Tokoto said after Wednesday's overtime loss at No. 4 Duke. ''We're still going to keep our composure. We're not going to panic. We've just got to buckle down when it comes down to it.''
This wasn't where the Tar Heels (18-8, 8-5) expected to be entering the final weeks of the regular season. They play their first home game in nearly three weeks Saturday against Georgia Tech, and they're still within reach of a top-four ACC tournament seed that comes with a double-round bye.
With Paige a preseason choice for All-American and league player of the year, the Tar Heels were picked to finish second in the league. And they were 7-1 in the ACC right behind Virginia and Notre Dame when they visited Louisville on Jan. 31.
That's where things went wrong.
The Tar Heels blew an 18-point second-half lead and lost 78-68 in overtime. They returned home two days later and fell 75-64 to the Cavaliers before a three-game road stretch.
North Carolina lost 89-76 to a hot-shooting Pittsburgh team last Saturday. Then, in Wednesday's rivalry classic, the Tar Heels controlled the second half with their best stretch of aggressive and full-effort play in weeks - only to blow a 10-point lead in the final four minutes and fall 92-90 in OT.
Their only win this month came against a Boston College team that's 1-12 in the league.
After the Duke loss, the mood in Cameron Indoor Stadium's cramped visiting locker room was a mix of hurt and frustration.
''Moral victories aren't something we're out here to get,'' Paige said. ''We played well enough to win the game and we didn't quite make the plays we needed to finish it off. I don't think we're very pleased with just hanging in there. It's not about just hanging in there or playing well against a top-five team.''
Paige was just as angry with himself. He finished with five points on 2-for-11 shooting - ''I didn't give them anything,'' he said of his teammates - for his second straight single-digit output while facing constant harassment.
Freshman Justin Jackson has struggled to develop as a complementary wing scorer, and a banged-up Paige has frequently found himself trying to carry the load amid constant defensive attention - though Tokoto did shake free of his recent funk with 15 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against Duke.
The Tar Heels must also get more from a defense that has allowed the past four opponents to shoot a combined 53.0 percent. Previous opponents had shot 37.3.
''It's a marathon, and in this league, it's a tough marathon,'' coach Roy Williams said.
This will be the first of two matchups with Georgia Tech (12-14, 3-11) in the next two weeks, and the Yellow Jackets will be short-handed in both.
Guard Chris Bolden was suspended Thursday for the remainder of the regular season and one game in the ACC tournament. The school said Bolden violated the athletic association's student-athlete conduct policy but provided no details of the violation.
Bolden, a junior who has started 11 times and is fourth on the team with 6.9 points per game, also was held out of Monday's 63-52 win over Clemson.
"They came out and fought with an unbelievable intensity level and an unbelievable belief in each other," coach Brian Gregory said. "They had a spirit that was really good to see from the opening tip. ... Our total team effort and the team energy was great."
North Carolina, which has won the last four meetings, will visit Georgia Tech on March 3.
