Joel Berry: NC State players 'didn't care' vs. UNC

North Carolina guard Joel Berry questioned NC State's competitive desire after Wednesday's matchup, fueling rumors surrounding embattled Wolfpack coach Mark Gottfried's job status.

"Guys didn't know where to be, guys were doing their own thing and didn't care," Berry told reporters, including Adam Smith of the Burlington Times-News, after handing Gottfried's NC State a third straight loss by more than 20 points, and a sixth consecutive defeat overall.

Gottfried is believed to be hanging by a thread at NC State, with the Wolpack reportedly planning to fire their sixth-year coach barring a miraculous end-of-season turnaround. Gottffried was booed by NC State fans during pregame introductions before Wednesday's 97-73 blowout began.

"I wish their program good luck in whatever they're doing, but you could sense there wasn't any team chemistry," Berry added.

The junior led North Carolina with 18 points, helping the Tar Heels sweep the season series with NC State. Berry and friends previously won the first matchup by a whopping 51 points, which marked the beginning of the Wolfpack's tailspin after a strong start to the campaign.

Gottfried, for his part, offered no answers when asked how yet another contest got so out of hand.

"They answered everything we did," he said. "We like to beat ourselves up, we certainly didn't do things well, but that's a good team. Sometimes you've just got to look and say, 'Man, they answered everything and played better,' and you've got to give those guys credit."

NC State, now 14-13, has four games left on its regular-season slate, beginning with Notre Dame on Saturday.