No. 10 Alabama takes it to No. 20 North Carolina as Tar Heels suffer third straight loss

The struggles are real for the 20th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels (4-4).

No. 10 Alabama (7-2) led by as many as 18 on its way to a 94-79 win in Chapel Hill on Wednesday night.

While North Carolina had the edge in rebounds (42-40), Alabama was in full control throughout the entire game.

The Crimson Tide shot 49.3 percent from the floor. Mark Sears had 20 points and seven assists. Wednesday night was the fourth time in nine games this season that Sears has scored 20 or more points.

Freshman Labaron Philon (15 points) and seniors Clifford Omoruyi (11 points, five rebounds) and Grant Nelson (10 points, nine rebounds) gave the Crimson Tide some balance. Alabama also received some help from its bench with sophomore Aden Holloway (15 points) and freshman Derrion Reid (11 points, seven rebounds) giving the team some additional production.

The Tar Heels continue to play from behind. North Carolina has faced a halftime deficit of at least eight points in each of its four losses, which has forced the Tar Heels to play catch-up.

Freshman Ian Jackson (23 points, five rebounds) led the Tar Heels off the bench, while senior RJ Davis was held to 18 points on just 7-for-24 shooting and 1-for-11 from three.

A major struggle for North Carolina on Wednesday was its poor three-point shooting. Including Davis' off night from behind the arc, the Tar Heels were 5-for-28 (17.9 percent). That is not going to win many games, regardless of the opponent.

The Tar Heels are searching for answers after three consecutive losses. North Carolina begins ACC play at home against Georgia Tech on Saturday, while Alabama gets some time off before returning home for a matchup with Creighton on Dec. 14.