Strong offensive team effort leads UNC easily past struggling Miami

Field Level Media|published: Sat 1st March, 14:22 2025

NCAA Basketball: Miami (FL) at North Carolina

Mar 1, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Miami (Fl) Hurricanes forward Brandon Johnson (2) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jalen Washington (13) defends in the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Ven-Allen Lubin had a season-high 19 points, one of six players to score in double figures for North Carolina, and the Tar Heels raced away with a 92-73 Atlantic Coast Conference win over Miami on Saturday in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Drake Powell added 16 points for North Carolina (19-11, 12-6), while Jae'Lyn Withers posted 11 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double in three games after having just one prior.

RJ Davis had 13 points for UNC, which recorded its fifth straight game scoring over 80 points. Davis became the third player in ACC history to top 2,600 career points.

After missing two games with an ankle injury, Matthew Cleveland returned for Miami (6-23, 2-16) with 25 points. Brandon Johnson added 20 for the Hurricanes, who dropped their fifth straight.

With 23 losses, Miami sits one shy of the most single-season setbacks in program history -- set in 1992 -- with two games remaining in the regular season.

North Carolina, meanwhile, remains in the hunt to sneak into the top four of the ACC standings and earn a double bye in the conference tournament. With a 12-6 conference record, the Heels have a chance to catch SMU (12-5 ACC, facing Stanford later Saturday) with two games left.

The Tar Heels got everyone involved early as six different players scored to push UNC in front 14-8 out of the gate.

After North Carolina extended its advantage to 21-11, Cleveland brought Miami back with back-to-back layups as part of an 8-2 burst that cut the gap to four points.

Carolina, though, went on a 12-2 run to close the first half, capped by a Davis 3-pointer, to take a 46-31 lead into the break. In making 7 of 12 3-pointers, the Heels scored at least 45 points in the first half for the fourth straight game. They had accomplished that feat just twice before.

Lubin scored 10 of his team's first 12 points to open the second half to give UNC a 58-37 lead, and the Tar Heels never looked back on their way to the program's eighth win over Miami in 10 games.

--Field Level Media

Latest