In a span of four days, three of the top five teams in college basketball deviated from their form and were upset.  Former number one North Carolina shockingly fell at home to Maryland.  UCLA, ranked number four, were stunned by rival USC.  And last night Tennessee was held down on the road by an inspired Kentucky team.  The three losses represent the first real shakeup in a college basketball season that has run pretty much to form.

In most cases, a single loss in a long season means very little especially during this time of the year.  Conference teams play each other multiple times a year, and know their rivals tendencies inside and out.  Teams are not intimidated to play highly ranked opponents because they see them every year while non-conference foes might have more of the shock and awe factor to deal with.  These three losses do highlight some flaws for each of the three Final Four hopefuls.  Let’s break them down one by one:

North Carolina:  Carolina’s loss to Maryland underscored the one factor that critics have said will ultimately derail this team: suspect defense.  The Tar Heels allowed Maryland to shoot 47% from the field, but that just begins to tell the story. 

It is well known that Roy Williams likes his teams to play at a face pace, and that fact sometimes leads people to believe that his teams do not play any defense.  This is not true as last season the Tar Heels gave up just 0.904 points per possession.  That number is up to 0.913 this season which seems very small, but that difference adds up due to the fast pace the Heels play at. 

This season the difference in the team is the absence of lanky forward Brandan Wright.  Wright’s length and wingspan gave the Heels a shot blocker that could make up for defensive mistakes and dissuade penetration by guards.  Deon Thompson has replaced Wright in the starting lineup and he is not nearly the same defensive presence.  The Terrapins were able to shred the Heels inside and scored 82 points on 78 possessions (1.05 points per possession).  Carolina was only kept in the game because of 21 offensive rebounds.  If the second chances were equal, Maryland might have won in a rout. 

While the Heels got a win last night against Miami, their defense was even worse than on Saturday.  The Canes shot 49% scoring 1.09 points per possession.  This has to be a disturbing trend for Carolina fans as the team’s defense is actually getting worse as the season progresses.  The offense is as good as ever as UNC leads the country in offensive efficiency, but if Tyler Hansborough and company don’t start focusing on the defensive end they should expect another March flameout that ends in the Elite Eight.

UCLA:  USC going into Pauley Pavilion and coming away with a win was certainly unexpected, but in an intense rivalry such as this, stranger things have happened.  The Trojans have been slow to put it together this year, but they certainly have talent and that showed with both O.J. Mayo and Davon Jefferson having excellent games.

The most disconcerting thing for the Bruins was the breakdown of the defense, usually the trademark of Ben Howland teams.  USC shot 61% from the field with most of their points coming off dunks and lay-ups taking advantage of extended ball pressure.  The Trojans averaged a whopping 1.11 points per possession, a quarter of a point more than the Bruins had been giving up this season.

In this case, it appears to be more of a one-time slip up in an intense environment.  The Bruins have been solid defensively as always under Howland, and feature an improved offense with freshman Kevin Love in the low post.  UCLA also played most of the second half without Lorenzo Mata and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute due to concussions.  Look for UCLA to rebound once the duo gets back in the lineup (and for USC to get into the NCAA tournament).

Tennessee:  The Vols had been improving defensively as the season progressed as Bruce Pearl’s frenetic style meshes perfectly with this athletic roster.  Transfer J.P. Prince has been great off the bench after becoming eligible.  At 6-foot-7 his length allows him to defend multiple positions providing versatility on the ball and on switches.

Against Kentucky, Tennessee wavered defensively a bit and was forced to play a slower pace than normal.  The Vols had only 65 possessions in the game, down from their season average of 72.  The upset thus appears to be more a function of their offense, or rather lack thereof.  JaJuan Smith and Tyler Smith had been averaging 27.2 points combined, but they scored just 12 on Tuesday.  The Vols scored 18 points below their average and shot just 39% from the field and 28% from three-point land.

With the fast and frenetic pace Tennessee plays at, it is prone to being up and down when shots aren’t falling.  Most of the shooters like Chris Lofton are streaky as well.  Even with the loss Tennessee is the clear favorite in the SEC, and should be fine going forward.