Inside play powers Miami to win over No. 11 North Carolina
Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes guard Tre Donaldson (3) and North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) reach for a loose ball during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images Malik Reneau scored a game-high 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Miami upset the 11th-ranked North Carolina 75-66 on Tuesday in Coral Gables, Fla.
The Hurricanes never trailed, and they had a 46-28 edge in paint points and an 8-2 advantage on fastbreak points. Miami won for the fourth time in five games and improved to 13-2 at home this season.
Miami (19-5, 8-3 Atlantic Coast Conference) also got 15 points and 10 rebounds from Ernest Udeh Jr., 14 points and a game-high five assists from Tre Donaldson, and 12 points from Shelton Henderson.
The Tar Heels (19-5, 7-4) were led late by Caleb Wilson, who scored nine of his 12 points in the second half. Wilson, projected to be a top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, missed several minutes in the second half as he went to the locker room and returned with a wrap on his left hand.
North Carolina, which had a five-game winning streak end, also got 13 points from Jarin Stevenson and 11 from Henri Veesaar. The Tar Heels were coming off a dramatic win over No. 4 Duke on Saturday.
Miami raced to a 22-12 lead before North Carolina scored on four straight possessions, cutting the deficit to one point.
Noam Dovrat produced a four-play play for Miami as Wilson fouled him 30 feet from the basket, giving the Hurricanes a 35-30 advantage.
Miami led 43-40 at the break.
Early in the second half, North Carolina had its own four-point possession as Wilson dunked, got fouled, missed a free throw and was saved by Veesaar, who worked for a tip-in bucket.
The Hurricanes went produced a 6-2 run on three straight dunks -- two by Udeh and the last one by Henderson with 7:24 left in the second half for a 61-56 lead.
With just over two minutes remaining, Miami went up 66-60 on an unusual three-point possession. Udeh made his first free throw, missed the second but got his own rebound and scored on a layup.
North Carolina had an opportunity to draw closer with 53 seconds left, but Veesaar missed a 3-point attempt and Donaldson made two free throws at the other end for a 72-64 lead.
Miami cruised from there, and Hurricanes fans stormed the court after the final buzzer.
--Field Level Media
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