North Carolina closed as an 18-point favorite and was given a 93-percent chance to win its ACC opener at Georgia Tech, according to KenPom. Then Saturday's game tipped and it didn't play out as projected at all.

Final: Georgia Tech 75, No. 9 UNC 63

So the Tar Heels are 0-1 in the ACC. And Josh Pastner is 1-0 in the ACC.

Here are three takeaways from a surprising result:

1. Joel Berry doesn't look like a POY anymore

When UNC started 7-0 with blowout wins over Wisconsin and Oklahoma State, the MVP of the team was Berry, a junior point guard who was consistently playing at a high level. He's not playing that way anymore, though. Berry took 13 shots against Georgia Tech, missed 10 and finished with just eight points. He's now 7-of-26 from the field in UNC's past three games. He's had six turnovers in 30 minutes Saturday.

2. Georgia Tech did it with defense

The Yellow Jackets don't have much of a roster, which is why they were picked 14th in the ACC poll. But Pastner, in his first year after being nudged out of Memphis, has developed them into a capable defensive team. They're 51st in defensive efficiency after holding UNC to 33.3 percent shooting. In other words, if they upset other teams, that'll be how the Yellow Jackets do it -- with defense. And, by the way, if you thought things were about to easier, think again. Next up is Wednesday's game at Duke. Then Georgia Tech hosts Louisville next weekend.

3. The ACC race is already nutty

The ACC currently has three teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll -- No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Louisville and No. 9 North Carolina. And all three have started 0-1 in the ACC.

So get ready for a fun couple of months.

I continue to think one of the teams that was supposed to win the ACC -- Duke, Louisville, North Carolina or Virginia -- will actually win the ACC. Long season and all that. But there's no denying things have gotten off to a weird start. And nothing that's happened so far is weirder than UNC's loss at Georgia Tech.

Favored by 18.

Lost by 12.

That's a 30-point differential.

Such a wild way to end the 2016 calendar year.