Tar Heels’ Second-Half Woes Doom Them in Road Loss to Miami
For 20 minutes, North Carolina looked like a team ready to handle business on the road. But in the second half, the offense hit a wall-and Miami took full advantage. The Tar Heels fell 75-66 in Coral Gables, undone by a second-half shooting performance that left much to be desired: 26.5% from the field, just 1-of-14 from three, and a stretch late in the game where they went 1-for-8 when they needed buckets most.
This one started like a track meet, with both teams trading buckets early. But as the game wore on, it turned into something much more physical-grimy, grind-it-out basketball played mostly around the rim. And that’s where Miami thrived.
The Hurricanes lived in the paint all night, especially in the second half. Of their 11 made field goals after halftime, nine were either layups or dunks.
That’s not just a stat-it’s a statement. Miami came in leading the ACC in percentage of points from two-point range during conference play, and they played exactly like it.
For the game, they racked up 19 layups or dunks. Carolina?
Just nine. That gap told a big part of the story.
One of the main culprits for the Canes was Ernest Udeh, who made his presence felt again and again at the rim. Whether it was catching lobs or cleaning up misses, the big man was a constant problem for the Tar Heels on his way to a game-high 15 points. His most impactful moment came in the final two minutes, when he grabbed his own missed free throw and scored-one of several backbreaking plays in crunch time.
Miami also showed up where it often matters most in tight games: the offensive glass. They pulled down 12 offensive rebounds, including a critical possession late where they grabbed three in a row before earning a trip to the line. That kind of second-chance effort is what wins games in the ACC, especially when the margin is razor-thin.
For Carolina, it wasn’t just the shooting that faltered-it was the lineup continuity, too. Injuries and in-game knocks forced Hubert Davis to shuffle his rotation.
Both Henri Veesaar and Caleb Wilson needed medical attention during the game, and Wilson even spent a stretch in the locker room before returning with a heavily taped left wrist. He gutted it out to finish in double figures with 12 points, but his -15 plus-minus was the lowest on the team.
Veesaar wasn’t far behind at -10. When those two aren’t right, it’s tough for Carolina to find its rhythm.
With the usual suspects limited, it was Jarin Stevenson who led the Tar Heels with 13 points. But the team’s second-half struggles from deep-just 1-for-14-meant Miami could pack the paint without much consequence.
That’s a tough way to win on the road, especially when the fast break is taken away. Carolina managed just two fast break points all night, and when the easy ones aren’t there, every possession becomes a grind.
Freshman Derek Dixon had a rough outing, the kind that happens over the course of a long season. He finished 1-for-9 from the field and 0-for-6 from three, with four assists and four turnovers.
Eventually, Davis turned to Kyan Evans, and the freshman delivered. Evans was a bright spot off the bench, scoring eight points in eight first-half minutes-a much-needed bounce-back after a 1-for-13 stretch over his previous four games.
In fact, the Carolina bench was one of the few consistent positives. They outscored Miami’s reserves 24-9, with Luka Bogavac chipping in six. That depth helped keep the Heels afloat early, especially with Wilson slow to get going in the first half.
Turnovers also hurt UNC-particularly the live-ball kind. Four giveaways in the first half led directly to eight Miami points.
The Hurricanes mixed up their defensive looks, keeping Carolina off balance, but some of those miscues were simply unforced. On the road, against a team that thrives in transition, those are the kind of mistakes that come back to bite you.
And that’s what made the second-half collapse so surprising: Carolina had been sharp early. The Heels shot 55% from the field and knocked down 7-of-13 from beyond the arc in the first half.
But that hot hand didn’t make the trip out of the locker room. Miami adjusted, Carolina didn’t respond, and the game slipped away.
There was a bit of star power in the building-Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers and Basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo were both in attendance, watching their alma mater try to grind one out on the road. But it wasn’t to be.
Now, the Tar Heels head back to Chapel Hill for a Saturday showdown with Pitt before hitting the road again for games at NC State and Syracuse. If they want to stay near the top of the ACC standings, they’ll need to find a way to recapture that first-half flow-and keep it rolling for all 40 minutes.