Florida State point guard Delvon Arrington wound up with the basketball as time expired with the Seminoles ahead of the 21st-ranked Heels 76-71. He didn’t fling the ball skyward. Instead, he simply handed it to the nearest official and walked away.

Arrington and his teammates didn’t hug and didn’t punch the air. Just a couple of cursory handshakes and off to the locker room. No one even thought about carrying coach Steve Robinson from the arena on their shoulders. Robinson walked off under his own power, stopping only for an interview with television sideline reporter Brad Daugherty.

Fed-up Tar Heel fans begged Daugherty, a star in the ‘80s, to suit up for the next game. He ignored them. But Tar Heel fans couldn’t ignore the good news that they at least had some fresh things to moan about after watching their team lose its fourth straight, an event that hadn’t taken place since 1992. Instead of fussing about their team’s lack of intensity — which has been the hue and cry for several weeks — fans could fume Saturday about how the Tar Heel defense allowed the so-so Seminoles (8-8, 3-2ACC) to sting them for 10 3-pointers.

“We’re just trying to play through all the bad things that are happening to us,” said Tar Heel big man Brendan Haywood, who was solid with 15 points and nine rebounds. “A lot of people don’t believe in us right now, and I can understand that. Hey, maybe, they shouldn’t.”

Looking on the bright side, though, that four-time loser 1991-92 Tar Heel team finished 23-10 and made the Sweet 16 round in the NCAA Tournament. Maybe this team can make a similar rally, but with its current record (11-8, 2-3) it no longer deserves Top 25 status and will likely join the wretched ranks of “others receiving votes” when Monday’s poll comes out.

“Losing,” said Tar Heel coach Bill Guthridge, “is contagious. We don’t feel like we can win right now. We have to somehow find a way to get that feeling back.”

Guthridge has been plagued by an inordinate amount of awful luck. After all, if he had Brian Bersticker and Ronald Curry (both injured); potential superstar Jason Parker (who didn’t qualify academically); and Vasco Evtimov (who’s playing in Europe), as was expected, the Tar Heels might be the team to beat in the country. Without those four, they are paper-thin and only the third best team in the Triangle.

Guthridge’s fortunes worsened Saturday. Carolina played without point guard Ed Cota, No. 9 on the all-time NCAA assist list. Cota was out with a viral infection and was replaced by the odd couple — seldom-used Terrence Newby, who didn’t attempt a shot in 18 unproductive minutes, and Jon Holmes, a scholarship freshman, who resembles a Cub Scout.

For all intents and purposes, the Heels also had to play without big man Kris Lang, who had a stomach bug (unrelated to Cota’s illness) and spent much of his court time doubled over in pain.

Even super-sub Julius Peppers, one of a handful of positives in this painful season, had car trouble and missed his first rotation. That meant when Lang and Haywood raised their hands in unison in the Tar Heels’ tried-and-true “I’m tired” signal early on, Guthridge had no one to send in for them except walk-ons Will Johnson and Jim Everett.

Still, in spite of everything, the Tar Heels, who singed the nets at a 50 percent clip, could have won this game, which was of course, also the case in recent losses to Wake Forest, Virginia and UCLA.

Carolina led 31-22 in the first half, before allowing the Seminoles to go ahead 37-36 at halftime behind a flurry of 3-pointers and unstoppable offense from Ron Hale (17 points) and “Famous” Damous Anderson (25 points).

The death blow for the Heels likely came when brilliant freshman Joe Forte (15 points) picked up his third and fourth fouls in the first three minutes of the second half and had to sit for 10 minutes.

Folks like Michael Brooker had to hold down the fort in the backcourt with Forte out. By the time Forte returned, the Heels were down and almost out at 61-50.

But the Tar Heels, as they always do, caught up, evening matters at 68-68 with 1:22 remaining on a Haywood tip-in.

But Hale immediately scored his 17th point on a post-up to put the Seminoles back in front.

Jason Capel,who scored 14, tried to answer for the Heels, but Seminole big man David Anderson rejected his baseline drive.

Oliver Simmons then put the Seminoles ahead 72-68 with a pair of free throws. A 3-pointer by Forte rimmed out with 12 seconds left. Simmons rebounded and coolly put in two more foul shots for a six-point lead.

Capel managed a 3-pointer with 4.4 seconds left to pull the Heels within 74-71 and raise hopes of a miracle finish, but two Arrington free throws a second later put the game away.

“It’s unbelievable,” saidPeppers. “We’re always right there at the end, but for some reason, we always seem to come up short.”

Robinson was asked what a win over the Tar Heels meant to the Seminoles, who had lost five straight to Carolina, including a 34-point pummeling in Chapel Hill last season.

He pondered for several seconds before replying.

“It means we took a small step,” he said. “We executed and beat a Top 25 team on the road in a place where we usually get demoralized.”

“But where does it rank all-time for you as far as big wins?” someone wanted to know.

“It was nice,” Robinson said. “But it was just a step. That’s all it was.”