UNC Basketball Moments After – UNC VS Miami 92-73 Win 

UNC Tar Heels Basketball Team Continues Their Winning Ways By Thumping the Miami Hurricanes for Their 5th Straight Victory

by Derrick Isaiah Clyburn

The North Carolina basketball team was looking for their fifth straight win as they faced off against Miami on Saturday afternoon. UNC came out and shot it well in the first half. The Heels hit 6 of their first seven shots. All five starters scored a basket in the opening minutes. The Tar Heels did an excellent job with their ball movement and getting downhill to create quality shots every time down the floor. Even though the Heels were scorching offensively, they were not as focused on the defensive end of the floor. Miami got whatever shot they wanted and was left wide open for shots on too many occasions in transition and in their halfcourt offense early in the first half. Once UNC cleaned up their defensive lapses and picked up their intensity, effort, and pressure to play better transition defense and force Miami into more difficult shots, Carolina was able to separate from Miami. North Carolina finished the half on a 12-2 run giving them their largest lead of the game as they head into halftime up by 15. This was the fifth time this season the Heels have led an ACC opponent by double digits at halftime. The Tar Heels shot 52% from the floor and scored at least 45 points in the first half for the fourth straight game, the first time since 2019. 

In the second half, UNC kept the momentum going and continued to control the tempo and pace of the game. North Carolina center Ven Allen Lubin scored 10 quick points coming out of halftime after being heavily featured in UNC’s early second-half offense to help extend the Heels’ lead. The Tar Heels were getting whatever they shot they wanted offensively in the paint and on the perimeter. UNC was moving the ball around with a purpose, making the extra pass to the open to get the best shot possible every time down the floor. Nine different Tar Heel players scored in this game and six of those players finished in double figures including Ven Allen-Lubin, Drake Powell, RJ Davis, Jaelyn Withers, Ian Jackson, and Seth Trimble. Carolina controlled this game from start to finish, leading by as much as 21, and in the second half never let the lead get below 14. Miami just had no answers for UNC’s high-powered offense as the Hurricanes tried everything defensively to slow down the Heels from 2-3 zone to man-to-man to full-court trap and press. The Tar Heels shot a season-high 68% from the field in the second half, the highest shooting percentage for a Carolina team in a half since 2022. The Heels also shot 58% from the floor for the entire game, the second-highest percentage this season.  UNC finished the game with over 80 points for the fifth straight game and extended their winning streak to five after their convincing 92-73 win over Miami. 

UNC Stats

Final

	1	2	T
MIA	31	42	73
UNC	46	46	92

UNC Bright Spots  

Ven Allen-Lubin had 19 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block 

Drake Powell had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 block. 

RJ Davis had 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. 

Jaelyn Withers had a double-double with 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists. 

Ian Jackson had 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 block. 

Seth Trimble had 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. 

Needs Work  

The Tar Heels must address the stretches of games where they have several minutes without scoring. North Carolina needs to focus on making the easy play and moving the ball to the open man on these possessions instead of settling for contested shots and forcing bad passes.  

The Tar Heels must prioritize every possession on both sides of the floor. Every play and possession matters and should be just as important as the last. They cannot afford to get lazy and not give their all on either end of the floor, especially when they jump out to big leads. These are the habits that they can build to help them as they get ready to make a run in March. 

The Heels must be better at the free throw line. They get there a lot but are not converting nearly enough. They only shot 66% from the line in this game, which is unacceptable. Their ability to get downhill and draw fouls is a strength for this team but they must be focused shooting a higher percentage at the line because it gives them an advantage against their opponent. 

Final Observations 

The Tar Heels improve to 19-11 on the season, 12-6 on the season. The Heels are now 12-2 at home and continue to play their best basketball of the season. This is huge for them going into March as they need all the momentum possible going into the conference and the NCAA tournament. Carolina is on a five-game winning streak and still hasn’t played their best basketball yet. They are getting great contributions from several players and guys are completely buying into their roles. The switch to the more traditional lineup instead of going with a small ball lineup has done wonders for this team. The Tar Heels are playing much better defensively and attacking the defensive and offensive glass at a much higher rate, outrebounding their opponents by double digits over the last five games. North Carolina must continue to play with a sense of urgency, effort, intensity, and energy for the remainder of the season. It will bode well for them as they prepare for tournament play and continue to build up their resume. The Tar Heels have just two games remaining with Virginia Tech and Duke left on the regular season schedule and will look to go into the ACC tournament on a winning streak. The game against the Hokies will be on Tuesday, March 4 on ESPNU at 7:00 P.M.