After a tumultuous season in which UM basketball fans saw the amazing potential of the team at times as well as the downright awful side of the team, the Canes look to make some noise in the ACC tournament this week. Miami claimed the 3-seed in the tournament and has been blessed with a double bye, so they were not in action on Tuesday and Wednesday as they waited to see who would make it out of their bottom quarter of the bracket between Syracuse, Wake Forest, and North Carolina. On Tuesday, 11-seeded Syracuse played 14-seed Wake Forest and won 73-64, so they went on to face 6-seed North Carolina (whom had a bye) on Wednesday. The favored Tar Heels took care of business against Syracuse in a very one-sided game, so now they face a tough Canes team they are very familiar with. Just in case short-term memory is still rampant these days, UNC faced Miami on their senior day in Chapel Hill just NINE days ago in one of the most thrilling finishes of the college basketball season. UNC point guard Joel Berry tied the game with 4.1 seconds left, only for Miami’s Ja’Quan Newton to take the ensuing inbound and dribble his way to just past half court and nail a 40-foot cold-blooded dagger to give the Canes the victory. Come Thursday, Berry and the Heels will definitely have revenge on their minds as they get another crack at Miami in Brooklyn.
Here’s a little synopsis on North Carolina: Roy Williams. The man needs no introduction as he’s already in the basketball of fame. His team, led by a pair of 1st team All-ACC players in Joel Berry and Luke Maye, have had a fairly good season. Berry has done a great job being the go-to scorer for the Heels this season as he averaged 17 points/game while Maye has been a double-double machine, averaging the same amount of points while adding 10.1 rebounds/game on top of that. Although they ended the season on a somewhat sour note with consecutive losses to Miami and Duke, they currently boast a 23-9 record while going 11-7 in conference play and finishing the regular season ranked #12 in the AP Top 25 poll. The biggest keys for North Carolina later tonight will be defense and turnovers. North Carolina’s offense is usually a sure thing so that is the least of their worries. However, Miami shot 54% against North Carolina in their matchup last week and scored 91 points on that defense. Granted, the Heels did bounce back in their next game and held Duke to just 31% shooting in the first half, but then allowed them to shoot 60% in the second half. UNC had a 10-point halftime lead (while shooting just 38%) but were outscored by 20 in the second half. This is important to note because Roy Williams’ excellent defense in past years was a crucial ingredient to them making their long runs into the NCAA tournament, including their trip to the title game last season. The Tar Heels can also put themselves in a better position to win, especially against a team like Miami when they limit turnovers. Miami forced 13 turnovers in Chapel Hill last week, a lot of those considered uncharacteristic, and scored 20 points off of them.
Miami is still without star guard Bruce Brown but is led by freshman sensation Lonnie Walker (11.6 points/game) and forward Dewan Huell (11.6 points/game and 6.6 rebounds/game). There are two big objectives on the Hurricanes’ list. The first objective would be to control the boards on both ends, most importantly the offensive side. North Carolina is ranked 8th and 18th in the nation for offensive and defensive rebounds respectively, and they were able to grab 11 offensive rebounds against Miami last week. Big man Dewan Huell will hold part of the duty protecting the glass. Huell has taken a big step in all areas of his game this season and has that long frame and athleticism to grab tough out-of-reach rebounds to limit Luke Maye. Starting G/F Anthony Lawrence (6.6 rebounds/game) will also play a role in securing the boards. The second is to take care of business at the charity stripe. Miami as a team shot 67% from the free-throw line this season, which ranks at 315th in the entire nation and has cost Miami a few close games this season. They did themselves a huge favor when they went 12-13 from the line in that close victory last week. Once guys like Chris Lykes, Walker, Newton, and even Huell are able to penetrate and get fouled, it is imperative they execute and knock down free throws to help the team in the latter part of the game if it is indeed close.
The winner of this game will move on to the semifinals on Friday, where they will face the winner of the 7 PM preceeding game between Duke and Notre Dame.
Prediction: Miami's the higher seed in this tournament and although they pulled out a tough one the last time these teams met, North Carolina is still a veteran team that will probably make the necessary adjustments to make sure there is not a repeat. I expect the Heels to win by 8-10 points and advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament as they chase their 2nd ACC title in the past three years. It won't be the end of the world but Miami will still have great momentum riding into the big dance.
Here’s a little synopsis on North Carolina: Roy Williams. The man needs no introduction as he’s already in the basketball of fame. His team, led by a pair of 1st team All-ACC players in Joel Berry and Luke Maye, have had a fairly good season. Berry has done a great job being the go-to scorer for the Heels this season as he averaged 17 points/game while Maye has been a double-double machine, averaging the same amount of points while adding 10.1 rebounds/game on top of that. Although they ended the season on a somewhat sour note with consecutive losses to Miami and Duke, they currently boast a 23-9 record while going 11-7 in conference play and finishing the regular season ranked #12 in the AP Top 25 poll. The biggest keys for North Carolina later tonight will be defense and turnovers. North Carolina’s offense is usually a sure thing so that is the least of their worries. However, Miami shot 54% against North Carolina in their matchup last week and scored 91 points on that defense. Granted, the Heels did bounce back in their next game and held Duke to just 31% shooting in the first half, but then allowed them to shoot 60% in the second half. UNC had a 10-point halftime lead (while shooting just 38%) but were outscored by 20 in the second half. This is important to note because Roy Williams’ excellent defense in past years was a crucial ingredient to them making their long runs into the NCAA tournament, including their trip to the title game last season. The Tar Heels can also put themselves in a better position to win, especially against a team like Miami when they limit turnovers. Miami forced 13 turnovers in Chapel Hill last week, a lot of those considered uncharacteristic, and scored 20 points off of them.
Miami is still without star guard Bruce Brown but is led by freshman sensation Lonnie Walker (11.6 points/game) and forward Dewan Huell (11.6 points/game and 6.6 rebounds/game). There are two big objectives on the Hurricanes’ list. The first objective would be to control the boards on both ends, most importantly the offensive side. North Carolina is ranked 8th and 18th in the nation for offensive and defensive rebounds respectively, and they were able to grab 11 offensive rebounds against Miami last week. Big man Dewan Huell will hold part of the duty protecting the glass. Huell has taken a big step in all areas of his game this season and has that long frame and athleticism to grab tough out-of-reach rebounds to limit Luke Maye. Starting G/F Anthony Lawrence (6.6 rebounds/game) will also play a role in securing the boards. The second is to take care of business at the charity stripe. Miami as a team shot 67% from the free-throw line this season, which ranks at 315th in the entire nation and has cost Miami a few close games this season. They did themselves a huge favor when they went 12-13 from the line in that close victory last week. Once guys like Chris Lykes, Walker, Newton, and even Huell are able to penetrate and get fouled, it is imperative they execute and knock down free throws to help the team in the latter part of the game if it is indeed close.
The winner of this game will move on to the semifinals on Friday, where they will face the winner of the 7 PM preceeding game between Duke and Notre Dame.
Prediction: Miami's the higher seed in this tournament and although they pulled out a tough one the last time these teams met, North Carolina is still a veteran team that will probably make the necessary adjustments to make sure there is not a repeat. I expect the Heels to win by 8-10 points and advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament as they chase their 2nd ACC title in the past three years. It won't be the end of the world but Miami will still have great momentum riding into the big dance.
