By Adam Lucas DURHAM—Carolina finished off its fourth game against a current top-five team the same way that the other three ended: with a loss.                  The Tar Heels played those other three games—defeats to Auburn, Alabama and Florida, all of which took place before Christmas—trying the same approach that they hoped would eventually click for this year’s team: man to man defense and a small-ball approach heavy on guards.                  It didn’t work.                  It also didn’t work for most of the night against Duke, which cruised to an 87-70 victory that was never in doubt from the moment the Heels began the game carelessly and ignited the Blue Devil transition game.                  The only way these two hours inside Cameron Indoor Stadium will be anything more than cruel and unusual punishment will be if Carolina discovered anything helpful for the remainder of the regular season. Because here’s the truth: the storyline of this season is about to be written. These next nine games are critical, and even more than that—many of them are eminently winnable.                   Take a look at the schedule. Ralph Sampson and Isaiah Wong aren’t walking through that door.                  Six of the next nine games are against teams ranked 82 or worse in the current Ken Pomeroy ratings. Seven of the nine are against teams outside the top 35.                   You want to play in the NCAA Tournament? Beat the teams you should beat and steal one or two other wins. If you can’t do that, you didn’t have postseason credentials anyway.                  Here’s the problem: it’s not going to be that easy. Carolina has demonstrated an uncanny ability to make games close this year. When you do that, you’re going to lose some of them—even against teams you should beat (hello, Stanford). So the Heels have to find a way to create some separation.                  Which brings us back to the final minutes of the Duke game and two wrinkles that might be fruitful for the rest of the season. Carolina is 13-10 and if they were 18-5 we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But they are, and we are. Sometimes ideas that seem a wacky in September look a little better at 13-10.                  First: zone defense. Carolina has had serious problems this year defending man to man. A zone eliminates that concern. And while the Tar Heels haven’t practiced it a ton this year, it was very effective in a surprise role against the Devils. In seven second half possessions against the zone, Duke went 0-5 from the field, turned it over once, and made a couple of free throws.                  That’s a very small sample size, but on a night they shot 52.8 percent from the field, it’s still far better than the other defensive results.                  

“We’re going to see the zone moving forward,” Hubert Davis told Jones Angell on the Tar Heel Sports Network after the game. “It’s the first time we’ve played it all year. It gives teams a different look, and it’s something we’ve needed. We might have found something with it. In addition to the man defense, we can sprinkle in the zone to keep teams out of rhythm and make them think about different things.”

                  Part of the zone’s success against Duke was undoubtedly the element of surprise. The Devils almost surely didn’t spend any time getting ready for it, because Carolina hadn’t showed it this season. Now they have, which means the next opponent—Pitt—will have a couple zone-breakers installed. And it’s also true that the Tar Heels aren’t a strong rebounding team, and the zone will place a premium on defensive rebounding.                   But it’s something different. And as of now, it’s something different that was successful. Again, we’re all acknowledging here that it’s easier to try something in a game that has long been decided. There’s less pressure and an opponent that might have already started thinking about going wherever they go to celebrate wins in Durham (I had a guess about where that might be but took it out because, well, did you see the game?).                   If Saturday isn’t going to be futile, though, it has to be something the Tar Heels consider during this upcoming six-day window before the Panthers visit the Smith Center.                  

Also in that category: Drake Powell at the three. The freshman was dynamic in the final minutes, flashing to the rim and making athletic plays that made him difficult to guard. Carolina is very undersized. But if they can find any way to put two big men on the court with him—and here is where it was a wise move to try and find some confidence for Cade Tyson in the second half, because productivity from him instantly changes Carolina’s rotation—it might unlock a new element to the offense.

                  Powell has struggled with consistency, but athleticism never slumps. And the same warning applies: it’s much easier to score against a team that has already inked the victory. But it was a little glimmer on a tough evening, and it’s something that might be repeatable against other opposition if it worked against Duke’s pro-ready roster.                  And starting on Saturday, that other opposition is what’s going to decide the outcome of this season. And the Tar Heels have to decide where they want to go from here.