LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 5 North Carolina suffered a 73-72 defeat here at Rupp Arena against Kentucky, which prevailed after coming up with two critical defensive plays on the Tar Heels’ final possession.

A look back at UNC’s second loss of the season:

Updated 5:30 p.m.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Trailing by one point here in the final seconds in a loud, raucous Rupp Arena, North Carolina chose to go inside – to attack the heart of the Kentucky defense. The Tar Heels’ hopes for a victory disappeared down there, as if tossed into a black hole.

That’s what the free throw lane – the area better known as the “paint” – represented on Saturday for No. 5 UNC, which was dominated on the interior during a 73-72 loss against top-ranked Kentucky. The Heels found failure on numerous occasions inside but it will be their final breakdown that will be remembered most.

CHAPEL HILL — P.J. Hairston, the North Carolina freshman who has been the Tar Heels’ leading 3-point shooter, wrote through his Twitter account that he will not play against No. 1 Kentucky on Saturday after he suffered a wrist injury in UNC’s 60-57 victory against Wisconsin on Wednesday night. (See 105 photos from the game.)