Harrison Barnes bounced back, but No. 8 North Carolina didn't.
The Tar Heels' hyped freshman scored 11 points and hit 4-11 from the floor -- a marked improvement over his 0-12 night when the Heels lost to Minnesota Friday -- but North Carolina fell again, losing to Vanderbilt 72-65 at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic.
Tyler Zeller scored 20 points to lead the Tar Heels, who dropped to 2-2 on the year.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, bounced back from a loss to West Virginia in the final seconds Friday night. John Jenkins scored 16 points while Festus Ezeli had 15 and thrived against North Carolina's interior defense.
It was the Commodores' first win over a top-10 team since 2008.
Both teams were plagued by turnovers. North Carolina committed 22 and Vanderbilt 21.
The Tar Heels struggled badly from behind the arc, hitting just 3-13 from 3-point range.
For North Carolina, it was another uncomfortable reminder that last season's difficulties may not yet be over. Point guard Larry Drew scored five points and had just one assist and a turnover. Freshman Kendall Marshall, who is pushing Drew for the starting spot, played just 17 minutes and had two assists against one turnover.
Meanwhile, outside of Zeller, the Tar Heels had no consistent offensive threat. Barnes made a handful of nice plays, but didn't make much of an impact. No other player scored in double figures. Sophomore John Henson, the wiry power forward, was outmuscled by Vanderbilt. He missed both of his field goal attempts and hit just 2-of-6 from the free throw line.
Freshman Reggie Bullock was the only Tar Heel other than Zeller to connect on more than half his field goals. Bullock hit both of his 3-pointers and finished 4-6 from the floor, but only played 15 minutes.
The Tar Heels' hyped freshman scored 11 points and hit 4-11 from the floor -- a marked improvement over his 0-12 night when the Heels lost to Minnesota Friday -- but North Carolina fell again, losing to Vanderbilt 72-65 at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Classic.
Tyler Zeller scored 20 points to lead the Tar Heels, who dropped to 2-2 on the year.
Vanderbilt, meanwhile, bounced back from a loss to West Virginia in the final seconds Friday night. John Jenkins scored 16 points while Festus Ezeli had 15 and thrived against North Carolina's interior defense.
It was the Commodores' first win over a top-10 team since 2008.
Both teams were plagued by turnovers. North Carolina committed 22 and Vanderbilt 21.
The Tar Heels struggled badly from behind the arc, hitting just 3-13 from 3-point range.
For North Carolina, it was another uncomfortable reminder that last season's difficulties may not yet be over. Point guard Larry Drew scored five points and had just one assist and a turnover. Freshman Kendall Marshall, who is pushing Drew for the starting spot, played just 17 minutes and had two assists against one turnover.
Meanwhile, outside of Zeller, the Tar Heels had no consistent offensive threat. Barnes made a handful of nice plays, but didn't make much of an impact. No other player scored in double figures. Sophomore John Henson, the wiry power forward, was outmuscled by Vanderbilt. He missed both of his field goal attempts and hit just 2-of-6 from the free throw line.
Freshman Reggie Bullock was the only Tar Heel other than Zeller to connect on more than half his field goals. Bullock hit both of his 3-pointers and finished 4-6 from the floor, but only played 15 minutes.
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