Behind another explosive offensive performance, the Tar Heels secured their fifth straight win, giving them their longest winning streak of the 2024-25 season, as they raced past Miami, 92-73, to improve to 19-11 on the season, and 12-6 in the ACC. Four UNC starters scored in double figures, and six Tar Heels overall reached the double digit scoring plateau, led by Ven-Allen Lubin, who scored 19 points, his best so far at UNC, all while shooting 9-10 from the field. Jae’Lyn Withers continued his impressive play since being moved into the starting lineup, recording an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double, as he stayed hot from three, going 2-2. The other UNC starters to reach double figures, were Drake Powell, who scored 16 points on 5-6 shooting, and RJ Davis, who added 13 on 4-12 shooting. It wasn’t just the starters who enjoyed big offensive games today, as both Seth Trimble (10), and Ian Jackson (11), who both scored in double figures off the bench, in a game where UNC shot 59% from the field, and 56% from behind the arc.
Miami was more competitive than many expected, as they were once again without Nijel Pack, and Matthew Cleveland, who returned after not playing earlier this week, came off the bench. Cleveland scored 25 off the bench, and kept Miami in the game in the first half, before a late UNC surge, gave Carolina a 46-31 halftime lead. As Carolina has done in the last handful of games, UNC wore down Miami on the glass, outrebounding the Hurricanes, 38-26, including 28-15 on the defensive glass. Five different Tar Heels gathered at least four rebounds in the game, led by Withers and his 10 rebounds in his double-double effort.
The surge right before halftime was spurned by head coach Hubert Davis, who called a timeout with 7:15 left in the first half, with UNC leading just 31-27. During the timeout, Davis got very animated, and challenged the team to play harder defensively. Carolina responded, winning the final 7 minutes, 15-4, allowing Miami to make 2 of their final 11 shots of the half.
In a game where Carolina had nothing to gain. And everything to lose, they put together another dominant offensive performance, but left some plays on the defensive end of the floor, which will make it easy for the coaching staff to harp on in practice before Tuesday’s game against Virginia Tech. Here’s what to take away from the win over Miami:
Second Half Offense: Carolina’s offense hit another gear in the second half, scoring 46 points, on 68% shooting. Ven-Allen Lubin was the leading force for Carolina, scoring 14 of his 19 points, on a perfect 7-7 shooting from the floor. Ian Jackson was the leading point man off the bench, adding 9 points, on 3-4 shooting. Miami still played zone in the second half, but they attacked it better, with better ball movement, and spacing, to get the shots they wanted.
Heels Stay Hot From Deep: Carolina shot 56% from behind the arc, on 10 makes, staying hot from the outside. The improved percentage from the outside is in large part due to better ball movement, a commitment to put the ball inside the paint, forcing the defense to crash, and then rotate when the ball gets pushed back outside. It also has to do with better shot making, starting with Jae’Lyn Withers, who continues to shine since being inserted into the starting lineup. RJ Davis may have been 4-12 from the field, but he was 3-6 from behind the arc, in 32 minutes.
Inside-Out: Carolina may have shot 56% from behind the arc, but their offensive attack started inside the paint, where they scored 46 points, totaling half of their entire point total. It started with Lubin presenting an inside scoring presence, combined with a determination from the guards to get to the front of the rim, and force the issue. With the way that Carolina’s offense is clicking, and functioning, it looks a lot like the Carolina offense of old. Hubert Davis talks about wanting to attack the paint through post and penetration, and this team is reaping the rewards of doing just that, executing at a high level, fueling this late season surge.
Free Throws: Carolina did a great job of getting to the foul line going 16-24 on the freebies, while not putting Miami on the charity stripe, as the visitors were only 6-7 from the line. That means UNC was plus 10 at the line in terms of makes, and plus 17 in terms of attempts, getting back to the formula they used early on in the season, to score more efficiently against caliber competition.
RJ Davis: With his 13 points today, Davis has now scored more than 2,600 points in his UNC career, joining Tyler Hansbrough as the only two UNC players to score at least 2,600 points in their Tar Heel careers.
Up Next: Carolina hits the road for the final time next Tuesday, when they travel to Blacksburg to take on Virginia Tech. Tip is set for 7 PM on ESPNU.
Make sure to tune in tonight’s Four Corners Podcast livestream for a special announcement.
Comments