UNC finished a remarkable season with another unmagical performance in a national semifinal. The Heels, playing in the semis for the sixth time since 1990, have only one title (1993) to show for their efforts in that span.

Carolina (22-14) lost 71-59 to youthful Billy Donovan’s Florida team, because they just couldn’t get started and because, burdened by fatigue and fouls, they just couldn’t finish.

Brendan Haywood had 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Tar Heels, but was held to four points in the second half when the pace of the game became too quick for the Heels. Ed Cota finished off his superb career with nine points and eight assists. Joseph Forte scored 15.

Freshman Brett Nelson led Florida with 13, scoring most of them in a decisive run in the second half.

“It’s disappointing,” said UNC coach Bill Guthridge. “We competed hard and it was a great ride, but they just wore us out. It was the most tired we got all year. Give Florida credit. They did a great job of making us play their game.”

UNC, which had done most everything right in an improbable Final Four run that had stunned friends and foes alike, looked like the old Tar Heels — or worse — in the first 10 minutes against the fifth-seeded Gators.

In its first 13 possessions, UNC mustered three points, and each Tar Heel turnover seemed to trigger a Gator score. The Heels dug a hole deeper than the Marianas Trench right from the outset. Florida went on a 16-0 run and before you could say “Billy Ball” it was 18-3.

“That’s our style of play,” said Nelson. “We can go on some runs on you.”

In fact, the Gators were playing what amounted to “bully ball.” They overwhelmed the stunned Heels inside and outside. At the 11:26 mark, the Heels had more timeouts called (two) than field goals made (one).

Nothing went right for coach Bill Guthridge’s beleaguered Heels. Brendan Haywood couldn’t hold the ball; Kris Lang was ineffective; and the jump shots of Jason Capel and Joseph Forte spewed erratically in all directions.

Forte, the freshman child who has become “the man” for the Heels in the NCAAs, didn’t score until he put in two free throws with nearly 11 minutes elapsed. He would not make a field goal the entire first half.

But just when Tar Heel fans were fit to be tied, the tide turned their way — at least for a time. The Heels righted themselves behind the leadership of point guard Cota, the wily veteran playing in his third Final Four. When Cota’s jumper crawled over the rim at 10:55 to make it 18-5, the worst was over.

The Heels got another lift moments later when former Concord High star Kenyan Weaks missed a pair of technical free throws after a run-in with Tar Heel enforcer Julius Peppers. That was an unlikely break, because Weaks had canned 52 of 55 free throws coming into the contest.

Capel made it 18-8 with a long 3 at the 10:02 mark and the danger of an early blowout had been averted. From there, the eighth-seeded Heels clawed back steadily, as the Gators, who had snacked on UNC on the inside in the early going, inexplicably started firing away ineffectively from 3-point range. The Gators were a woeful 4-for-17 from long range in the first half.

Haywood got going midway though the half, as Cota delivered the ball to him time and again in scoring position in the lane. Florida’s lead dissipated to 26-22 with six minutes remaining after a couple of Haywood free throws. It was 35-32 after Haywood was fouled and converted free throws after grabbing an offensive rebound. Then Capel surprised the Gators in transition to trim the lead to 35-34. Florida was fortunate to hang on 37-34 at halftime after Cota and Capel missed opportunities just before intermission.

“I was worried at the half,” said Donovan. “Haywood was getting us in foul trouble all by himself. He really posed problems for us.”

Early in the second half, it appeared that the Heels had one more miracle in them.

Forte’s silent night ended abruptly, as he connected for 10 consecutive points to carry the Tar Heels to a 48-42 lead. Now UNC had outscored the Gators 45-24 since that miserable beginning.

But the momentum swung back toward the Gators when Cota picked up his third foul on a charge at 14:17 and was saddled with his fourth a minute later trying to stop a driving Nelson.

“After that Cota had to be passive,” said Nelson. “That really helped us.”

“My fourth foul changed everything,” said Cota. “I had to let my man shoot. I couldn’t be aggressive anymore.”

“I thought we’d be OK,” said Guthridge, who left Cota on the floor. “But we didn’t make many plays after that.”

After Nelson drove again and dished to Udonis Haslem for a dunk, the Gators were back even at 50-50 with 12:09 left to play.

Florida’s Major Parker broke the tie, putting the Gators ahead to stay with a 3-pointer. Then Nelson confidently stroked two jumpers over Cota. Meanwhile, the Heels went cold and their foul trouble intensified.

UNC trailed by six when Capel joined Cota in four-foul territory at the 8:33 mark. At 4:36, Forte, normally the picture of calm, screamed at officials when he was assessed his fourth personal.

It was a downhill slope for the Heels from there. They were too fatigued and in too much foul trouble to apply pressure defensively, and the shots that had dropped for weeks no longer came close.

“We played 10 guys and they played six,” said Gator Mike Miller. “They had to wear out and wilt at some point — just like Duke did last week.”

The tell-tale sign of Tar Heel fatigue came when Forte missed two straight free throws at 3:29. Then came heavy-legged airballs from Forte, Cota and Max Owens as the Gators pulled away.

“It’s huge for us,” said Donovan. “We’ve beaten Duke and UNC back-to-back. Those are two great programs. You beat those people and you can say your program is a success.”

And a Gator team that many said was a year away is now just a game away from a national championship. Florida (29-7) advances to face Michigan State (31-7), which beat Wisconsin (22-14) for the fourth straight time this year in the other semifinal.