KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Luke Maye won't get another shot at Kentucky, or anyone else. The world was spared the prospect of a North Carolina-Duke meeting for a national title. And Auburn avoided an ignominious Triangle treble, having already lost to Duke and N.C. State.
The Tigers out-Heeled the Tar Heels, scoring in transition, crashing the boards and blocking shots as North Carolina lost in the Sweet 16 for only the second time under Roy Williams, falling to a team that did everything the Tar Heels do, but better.
It may not have had the same sense of missed opportunity as 2012, when Kendall Marshall's wrist wasn't recovered in time to play in a regional-final loss to Kansas, but Nassir Little and Cam Johnson were both running fevers and something less than their normal selves. Maybe others as well, as North Carolina struggled in the face of Auburn's relentless defensive attack.
It didn't help North Carolina that Auburn couldn't miss, either. When Anfernee McLemore fired up a 3 during one second-half run, Samir Doughty, waiting to check in, turned his back on the game and raised his arms to the crowd. The shot thudded off the backboard _ and in, for Auburn's fifth straight 3-pointer. The lead was 17 at that point, North Carolina out of options. Auburn finished 17 for 37 from long range on its way to a 97-80 win.
It was the most 3-pointers made against North Carolina in any game in Williams' 16 years back in Chapel Hill. Like the flu, it was bad timing for the Tar Heels, who had designs on so much more.
"It's tough. And frustrating," Kenny Williams said. "We've been dealing with injuries all year. Once we finally got to full strength, we had some guys go down with sicknesses."
So this is how it ends for Maye, who completes his North Carolina career one of the most productive and successful players in history, despite being far from the most talented, a tribute to his work ethic and drive.
This is how it ends for Johnson, who came from Pittsburgh looking for the success that eluded him there.
This is how it ends for Kenny Williams, who became a leader and defensive stopper.
This is, presumably, how it ends for Little and Coby White, two of the most explosive freshmen in recent memory, their incandescent careers cut short.
"Just thinking the season ended and the seniors are leaving," White said, asked what the toughest part of the loss was. "I've built a great relationship with all three seniors and I'm going to miss the, but it's life."
The two four-year seniors exited with 121 wins, among the most in North Carolina history. They had a chance to add another page to their legacy, but will have to stand on what they already have secured.
"I would coach my guys for nothing," Williams said. "Even right now, this feeling, because you've had the association with them, you have no idea how good that has been."
The way the Tar Heels lost was familiar, because it was how the Tar Heels typically do it to other teams.
White took a beating driving the lane and twice had his pocket picked on the break by ball-hawking Auburn guards. White couldn't get anything done on North Carolina's last possession of the first half, and J'Von McCormick used the final six seconds to give Auburn a 41-39 lead.
It was a prelude of things to come. Auburn scored the first eight points of the first half, North Carolina turned over twice and the 10-point deficit prompted a rare Williams timeout with the Tar Heels completely lost.
North Carolina was able to keep the deficit at 10 even as the Tigers continued to rain in second-half 3s, and the game took a turn for the macabre when Chimu Okeke _ with 20 points and 11 rebounds _ suffered a gruesome-looking knee injury driving to the basket midway through the second half. Several North Carolina players went to his side, a moment of sportsmanship that will linger long after this loss is forgotten.
Under Williams, North Carolina had lost only once in the Sweet 16, and that was as a No. 4 seed to top-seeded Wisconsin in 2015, with the core of a team that would go to the next two Final Fours on its way to a national title. This team had that kind of potential, but with the massive collection of talent likely to exit, young and old, it might be a year or two before the Tar Heels are back in this position.
North Carolina's seniors _ and potentially exiting freshmen _ expected and probably deserved better than this after a season that saw them hang with Virginia in the ACC and earn a No. 1 seed in the tournament. Whether it was the flu or a talented opponent peaking at the right time, Auburn was just too much for the Tar Heels to handle.
