BLACKSBURG, Va. — No. 8 North Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 82-68 here at Cassell Coliseum on Thursday night.

A look back at the Tar Heels’ much-needed victory:

BLACKSBURG, Va. — His team down by five at halftime at Virginia Tech on Thursday night, North Carolina coach Roy Williams walked into the Tar Heels locker room and told his players to stop pouting. They’d suffered a 33-point loss at Florida State just days before and now they were losing again.

Williams wrote words on a board: “Poise. Toughness. Confidence.”

“I challenged them,” he said. “I said don’t be giving me and woe-be’s, don’t be giving me any feel sorry for yourselves. Let’s play. I wasn’t going to feel sorry for us at all.”

No. 8 UNC folded in the second half of that loss against the Seminoles on Saturday. Here on Thursday night, though, the Heels used a 19-0 second-half run to fuel an 82-68 victory against the Hokies.

CHAPEL HILL — No. 8 North Carolina plays at Virginia Tech tonight in Blacksburg, Va. (9 p.m., ESPN) Here are three things to watch while the Tar Heels attempt to bounce back from the worst loss of the Roy Williams era: 

A belated three North Carolina-related things to consider on this Wednesday:

CHAPEL HILL — In case you missed Roy Williams’ radio show last night, he explained how he left five players on the court during the final 14 seconds of North Carolina’s 90-57 loss at Florida State on Saturday.

Here’s Roy: 

CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina coach Roy Williams did not intend to leave five players on the court for the final 14 seconds of the Tar Heels’ 90-57 loss at Florida State on Saturday, a UNC basketball team spokesman said on Monday.

“Roy thought that the walk-ons followed him [off the court], too,” said Steve Kirschner, the director of communications for the UNC athletic department.

CHAPEL HILL — Following its 90-57 loss against Florida State on Saturday, North Carolina dropped five spots from No. 3 to No. 8 in the weekly Associated Press top 25 poll, which was released on Monday afternoon.

The Tar Heels, who play at Virginia Tech on Thursday, are also No. 8 in the coaches’ poll. 

CHAPEL HILL — At one point earlier today during Roy Williams’ portion of the ACC’s weekly coaches’ teleconference, a reporter opened his question to Williams with this: “Coach, how are you doing?”

To which Williams said, “Not very good but still alive.”

CHAPEL HILL — Three North Carolina-related things to think about on this Monday morning from Chapel Hill:

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State defeated No. 3 North Carolina 90-57 here on Saturday. A look back at the Tar Heels’ shocking defeat: