#9 North Carolina basketball took on #14 Kentucky basketball on Saturday in Atlanta, and it was a fantastic matchup. Both teams came into the game with two losses, but the Wildcats were the team that left with two as they handed the Tar Heels their third loss of the season. It was tight the whole way through, and Kentucky ended up winning a close one, but North Carolina was able to keep it close for the whole game.

Despite the loss, North Carolina basketball has a couple of positives to look at after this game as they were able to erase a couple big deficits to stay in the game throughout. Kentucky basketball led by 10 late in the first half, and North Carolina stormed back to get within two by halftime. Then, later in the second half, Kentucky grew the lead back up to 12, but the Tar Heels once again fought back and tied the game up. Unfortunately for North Carolina, the Wildcats did a better job in the final stretches of the game, and they earned the four point victory.

At the end of the day, there is nothing to be ashamed of if you're North Carolina losing to this Kentucky team. The Wildcats are one of the best teams in the country, and Tar Heels head coach Hubert Davis discussed why they are so difficult to guard.

“They have a number of players that can create their own shot in one-on-one situations,” Hubert Davis said after the game, according to a tweet from Jack Pilgrim.

That is an accurate take from Davis, and that is why Kentucky is ranked so highly and why teams are having trouble beating them.

Up next for the Wildcats is a date with rival Louisville on Thursday. They have just two games before SEC play ramps up in early January. It's looking like Kentucky will once again be a force to be reckoned with come March.

As for North Carolina, the road doesn't get any easier as their next matchup is on Wednesday against #11 Oklahoma in the Jumpman Invitation in Charlotte, North Carolina. That is a huge game, and it should look like a home game for the Tar Heels. After that, North Carolina takes on Charleston Southern before ACC play picks up in the new year.