UNC Basketball: Hurricanes vs. Tar Heels game preview

The North Carolina Tar Heels are on a seven-game win streak. Can they make it eight games against Miami? What do the Hurricanes bring to the table?

And that is how you make a turkey out of a Hokie.

The Tar Heels took care of business on the glass and beyond the arc and won their 13th straight at home and seventh overall.

They wont get a lot of time to think about it, though, as they travel to play at Miami on Saturday. What do the Tar Heels need to know about the Hurricanes?

Miami Hurricanes

Jan 25, 2017; Coral Gables, FL, USA; Boston College Eagles guard Jerome Robinson (1) lost control of the baseball in front of Miami Hurricanes forward Kamari Murphy (21) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Head Coach: Jim Larranaga. Career Record: 601-397. This is Larranaga’s sixth season at Miami and third head coaching job. Larranaga is best known for taking an 11-seed at George Mason all the way to the Final Four in 2006, upsetting North Carolina, among others, on his way to the National Semifinal.

Last Season: Last season, the Hurricanes went 27-8. They went 13-5 in the ACC and finished third overall. Overlooked early in the season by most, the Canes came out strong and entered conference play at 11-1.

Their achilles heel last season was Virginia, who they went 0-3 against, including a loss in the ACC quarterfinals. The Canes entered the NCAA tournament as a 3-seed. They won their first two games before being dismantled in the Sweet 16 by eventual National Champion Villanova.

Best Former Player: Rick Barry. Barry is a former 12-time All-Star (8 NBA, 6 ABA), 10-time All-NBA/ABA teamer, and NBA scoring champion. He was also Rookie of the Year in the NBA and is one of the few players to win a championship in both the ABA and NBA.

In addition to that, he was MVP of the NBA All-Star game in 1967 and the NBA Finals in 1975. Berry finished his career with 25,279 points, 6,863 rebounds, and 4,952 assists. In 1987 he was enshrined into the Hall of fame.

This Season: This season the Hurricanes are 13-6, but just 3-4 in ACC play. Their best non conference win was against Stanford. Their three conference wins are against teams that are a combined 6-17 in conference play. How good are the Canes? On Saturday, we will learn a lot.

Key Players

Jan 26, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Justin Jackson (44) reacts after hitting a three point shot late in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Hokies 91-72 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Miami: G Davon Reed

Reed is the Canes leading scorer and is shooting a 45/40/83 line this season. He is also the team’s leading three-point threat, having hit 48 threes so far this season, 15 more than the next closest Cane. At 6-foot-6, Reed is the kind of guard that the Tar Heels have struggled with, particularly when Theo Pinson has not been playing.

North Carolina: F Justin Jackson

Jackson seems to age like fine wine. Just when he seems to hit his ceiling he finds another one. Justin was on fire against the Hokies, hitting five of the Tar Heels’ season-high 14 three-pointers. His 26 point total was his 10th 20-point game of the season and third in his last four.

Jackson may not be the most valuable player on the team (I still contend that’s Joel Berry II), but when he is scoring, the Heels are hard to beat.

Freshman Spotlight

Jan 21, 2017; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Boston College Eagles guard Ky Bowman (0) is guarded by North Carolina Tar Heels guard Joel Berry II (2) and forward Tony Bradley (5) during the first half at Silvio O. Conte Forum. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

Miami: G Bruce Brown

Brown is third on the team in scoring and second on the team in rebounding. In his last game against Boston College, he finished with 12 points and six rebounds in 35 minutes. At 6-foot-5, he combines with Davon Reed to give the Tar Heels two large guards to worry about.

North Carolina: F Tony Bradley

In just his second game back from concussion-like symptoms, Bradley had a much better showing. The reserve big man finished with seven points and six rebounds in 19 minutes. He also had a block and an assist.

Bradley provides extra depth on the front line, allowing Meeks and Hicks to rest. He also allows the Heels to play smaller and faster when need be. His continued development will be key, particularly against the Hurricanes.

Three Questions

Jan 26, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies guard Chris Clarke (15) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels forwards Kennedy Meeks (3) and Isaiah Hicks (4) defends in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Hokies 91-72 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Can the Heels win without Theo Pinson?

Everyone in Tar Heel blue held their collective breath when word was announced that Theo Pinson would not play the second half. They all released it when they heard it was for precautionary reasons.

The Tar Heels need Pinson if they want to win the ACC. They are 6-0 since he returned to the team and provided too many intangibles for the team to go without him for long stretches.

His health is paramount to winning it all, as both Hicks and Jackson have gotten better since his return. Hopefully this was just a blip, though he wont be available on Saturday in Miami.

Can UNC dominate on the road?

I asked this last week before the Boston College game and the response from the Tar Heels was a nine-point victory over Boston College in which a freshman hit more threes than the Tar Heels combined.

A huge road win would go a long way toward helping the Carolina cause at a 1-seed. Right now, their best road win is either at Wake Forest or at Clemson. Neither of those is uber impressive. Beating Miami by double-digits would further help to separate the Tar Heels from the rest of the league .

Has Miami recovered from Durham?

Miami looked like a sure-fire tournament team going into Durham last weekend. After one half of play that opinion stayed unchanged. Starting in the second half, things were not so clear.

In the second half against Duke, the Canes were outscored 45-22 in what has been the Blue Devils’ only victory in their last four games. Since that half, the Canes also struggled at home against Boston College.

Boston College is not a cake walk, but on the road they aren’t nearly as competitive, having lost their three previous conference road games by an average of 16 points per game. Miami beat them at home by one point, thanks to two clutch free throws by Bruce Brown with six seconds left in a game Miami led by 14 with just five minutes remaining.

If Miami is still suffering from a Duke hangover, it could be a long day for the Canes and a good day for the Tar Heels.

Prediction

Jan 26, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams reacts in the second half. The Tar Heels defeated the Hokies 91-72 at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

UNC has traditionally struggled at Miami during the Jim Larranaga era. The Tar Heels’ home/road split is still something that can’t be ignored. Additionally, Miami is third in the league in rebounds per game, meaning they won’t get bullied on the boards as easily.

If UNC shows the same struggles that they did against Wake Forest and Boston College, the Hurricanes will leave with a solid W.

Final Score: 85-78 UNC over Miami. In addition to the rebounds, Miami doesn’t turn it over a whole lot either. This will be a close fought battle, but UNC has the better overall team, even with Theo Pinson out.

Key baskets and clutch free-throw shooting should be enough to allow the Tar Heels to leave Coral Gables with a win.