CHAPEL HILL — The first year and few months have been just like any marriage — you forget about the bad habits and remember all the good.

But now that stage is over between Sidney Lowe and N.C. State fans.

And on Saturday afternoon, it didn’t just end — it came to a screeching halt.

Yet, it was bound to happen. No couple can ignore problems forever. And after the North Carolina game at the Dean Dome, those problems became pretty clear.

Showing passion during the gameIt wasn’t that the Wolfpack lost. No one expected the team to win. It was the lack of effort in many situations.

At one point when senior forward Gavin Grant drove to the lane and was blocked by nearly three Carolina players, he stood there as the Tar Heels sprinted down the floor.

And the freshmen learn from senior leaders, right? Well, after a turnover from freshman center J.J. Hickson, he stood there with his hands up hoping for a call. Once again, UNC beat State down the court as Hickson waited for a whistle.

Getting on the team And that brings me to my next point. Lowe said he didn’t give his players a hard time because they weren’t smart with the ball.

“I thought that we just made some poor decisions,” Lowe said. “And there’s just no need for me to come in there yelling.”

It was more than just poor decisions.

Well, maybe he got on the team some during halftime?

Not so much, according to Hickson and junior guard Courtney Fells.

“He talked more about the positive things — not so much the negative,” Hickson said.

During the break, the team got its spirit high and went out there with a positive attitude.

“You would think guys would be down because we were down 30 at halftime. But we were all enthused, and we wanted to get right back out there,” Fells said.

At that point, 43-13, the game was over. The team didn’t need a pat on the back. It needed something less gentle.

After the game, North Carolina coach Roy Williams was more upset about his team’s second-half performance than Lowe was about the entire game.

Everyone knows Lowe cares about State, but he needs to show he’s hurt, or at least angry, after an embarrassing loss.

Offensive struggles Sure, the Princeton offense from “the other guy” wasn’t too exciting. It wasn’t anything like an up-tempo or NBA-style offense — and it was kind of boring.

But things are different now. The Pack has an NBA-style offense. And I’m not going to argue that. State even runs it to perfection (minus the scoring). The players take turns going one-on-one against their defender.

During Saturday’s game, Grant went first. Then Hickson. McCauley. Fells. Horner. Insert name here. You name it. They had a go.

The score was 9-9 with more than 14 minutes remaining in the first half. With less than two minutes remaining in the half, the score was 41-11. The Tar Heels went on a 32-2 run — including a 25-0 span during that period.

When Fells scored to make it 41-13, UNC fans cheered — basically making light of State’s offensive woes. The Pack finished the half at 13 points.

It’s the third time in a row State has failed to score 30 in a half and the second time in three games the Pack hasn’t reached 20 by halftime.

Something is wrong with this team. And the team must do something soon.

No one is talking divorce, but this marriage needs a spark already — or at least a little more passion.

What should Sidney Lowe do to get his team going? Tell Nick what you think at [email protected].