The stress levels are extremely high, but UNC basketball gets it done at Miami
If you have high blood pressure, or care about your health in general, watching UNC basketball games probably isn’t in your best interest.
After building multiple double-digit leads, North Carolina had to grind out a win in Coral Gables against the Miami Hurricanes.
The Tar Heels got off to the ideal start for the crowd, putting together a 15–4 run and displaying a tremendous deal of energy—something that was conspicuously absent from their defeat to Clemson a few days prior.
But the Hurricanes were not going down without a fight, as Miami led by one at the break thanks to a phenomenal first-half display by Nijel Pack.
The UNC basketball team mixed and matched without Seth Trimble once more, delving a little further down the bench than we’ve seen recently. The Tar Heels’ inability to guard Pack was mostly due to the bench’s struggles, which allowed Miami to get back into the game.
The Tar Heels were dealt a significant break at the start of the second half when Norchad Omier was called for a technical foul, which gave RJ Davis four free throws and an additional cushion for North Carolina.
Unexpectedly, the lead turned out not to be valid.
With 4:10 left, Elliot Cadeau made a basket to give North Carolina a 9-point advantage that appeared to be sustained. With just over a minute left, Miami managed to tie the score at two points, and things started to get interesting in Coral Gables.
If it wasn’t for a lane violation called against the Hurricanes, the Tar Heels would have had to make one more defensive stand to avoid overtime. Fortunately, the lane violation served as a huge break, as North Carolina will head home with another win.
RJ Davis was outstanding once again, scoring a game-high 25 points. Cadeau knocked down two three-pointers en route to a career-high 19 points, as the freshman guard also recorded eight assists, four steals, and three rebounds.
It wasn’t the prettiest win, but hey, winning games on the road in the ACC is certainly a challenge. There’s quite a few things we’d like to see the UNC basketball program improve upon, but for now, let’s just get our stress levels down and be happy they came out with a victory.
