The North Carolina Tar Heels (19-11, 12-6 ACC) continue to boost their tournament resume with an impressive 92-73 victory over conference foe Miami (6-23, 2-16 ACC) in Chapel Hill. The win marks the fifth in a row for the Tar Heels, which sets their longest streak of the season. Although two games still remain to conclude the regular season for North Carolina, the Tar Heels look to carry this momentum into the ACC Tournament and possibly the NCAA Tournament at the end of March.
Tar Heels Dominate the Paint
Miami would keep the game fairly close throughout the first half until North Carolina showed a strong defensive effort to keep the Hurricanes from scoring in the last 2:10, resulting in a 46-31 Tar Heels lead at halftime. North Carolina shot an impressive 58.9% from the field over the course of the game, including 10/18 from behind the arc. UNC was sent to the free throw line 24 times, making 16, while sending the Hurricanes to the charity stripe only 7 times. Most notably, the Tar Heels were able to assert their dominance in the paint, outscoring Miami 46-28. North Carolina’s largest lead would jump out to 21 early in the second half before eventually securing the 19 point victory.
Six Heels in Double Digits
The Tar Heels once again had six players with impressive scoring days, coming off of a win over Florida State with the same number. Forward Ven-Allen Lubin had a team high 19 points, while fellow forward Jae’Lyn Withers posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, marking his second within the last three games. Guard Drake Powell had 16 points on 5/6 shooting and 4 free throws, and senior guard RJ Davis contributed 13 points. Ian Jackson and Seth Trimble came off of the bench to aid the Tar Heels, scoring 11 and 10 respectively.
Remaining Schedule
North Carolina will travel to Virginia Tech (12-16, 7-10 ACC) for their only matchup of the season, before returning home for a rematch with Duke (25-3, 16-1 ACC).
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