UNC Basketball vs. Miami: What we learned

Ouch.

That one stung... a lot...

We have to move on and get ready for the Blued Evils from down the road. What can we learn from a heartbreaker like this? Plenty.

Joel Berry II is NEVER going to give up! (And Theo Pinson, too!)

Even when everything was going Miami’s way, (a 39% three-point shooting team shooting 60%, a 60% free throw shooting team hitting over 90%, a 17% three-point shooter hitting his fifth three-pointer of the year for the win) Berry seemed to find another level and will his team to put them in a place they could win.

With just under seven minutes remaining, Berry had a total of 11 points. That’s when a spark lit a volatile concoction of frustration and grit. Berry would go on to score 20 points in the last six minutes and forty seconds, none bigger than a prayer with four seconds left.

However, this would not be a conversation and we wouldn’t be talking about the heroics of Joel Berry if the defense didn’t seemingly disappear for most of the game.

The Tar Heels opened the game strong and pushed their lead to eight at 18-10 with over 12 minutes left in the first half. After that, Miami began pouring it on and did not stop until the final buzzer sounded (literally). The Hurricanes closed the half on a 34-14 run. The second half wasn’t too entirely different. The Tar Heels would make a mini-run, cutting the lead to no less than three before Miami would rack it back up to eight or more.

Miami got the shots they wanted, and boy did they ever cash in on them, shooting nearly 55% from the field.

If that sounds familiar, it should. In games against Syracuse and Miami, the Tar Heels have rattled off great starts only to have those leads erased. Enough was done for the Heels to leave the Carrier Dome with a win. Against Miami, the autopilot lasted for a bit too long and the hole was too deep to crawl out of.

You NEVER want to see a loss in this scenario, especially with the league as bunched up as it is from 2nd to 6th. However, this loss could act as a the fire to end the season on a high note. This loss isn’t the end of the world, even though it does do some damage to our tournament seeding possibilities. We still have a chance to sweep our rivals and make a strong push in the ACC Tournament.