CHAPEL HILL Not that it's particularly surprising, but things have gone from bad to bleak in the North Carolina basketball camp.

With Ed Davis sidelined by a left ankle injury, there was every reason to suspect the Tar Heels would have trouble Wednesday night against a Wake Forest team that was still smarting from a 20-point Sunday loss at Duke.

But what actually unfolded in the Smith Center was worse than most people expected and certainly the Tar Heels players.

"Everyone in the locker room is speechless. That's the best way to put it, I guess," said freshman Travis Wear, who started in Davis' absence.

Senior Deon Thompson wasn't exactly flabbergasted, but he was plenty irritated.

"Around here, winning is the only thing and it's up to us to get back to doing that," Thompson said.

Through four ACC games, only one of which has resulted in a win, North Carolina hasn't been a good defensive team by anyone's measurement.

Against Wake Forest, that defense went solidly sour. Not only did the Tar Heels (12-7) have the predictable amount of trouble with Wake Forest playmaker Ishmael Smith, they were at a loss to contain Chas McFarland and Al-Farouq Aminu inside.

Much has changed since North Carolina defeated Ohio State and Michigan State and lost by two points at Kentucky.

Coach Roy Williams has cited a loss of confidence, but the team's problems are not confined to its mental state.

That much is apparent in the lack of defensive effort. Smith (20 points, six assists) sliced through North Carolina's defense with such ease that the Tar Heels at times resembled a summer AAU team.

Even without Davis and Ty Zeller, the Tar Heels still should have had enough size to at least worry McFarland and Aminu. Instead, North Carolina went perimeter-happy almost from the start, eventually firing off 3-point attempts 26 times with miserable results (six conversions).

"It's up to us," Wear said. "We can go belly-up or we can go back to playing the way we were earlier."

One place the team for sure is going is on the road. With three away games among the next four, any improvement is going to have to be made amid difficult circumstances.