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Has the Clemson loss made Miami a must win?
The untimely upset Tuesday night was Carolina’s second loss in the last three games and sends the Tar Heels tenuously back on the road for three of their next four, starting Saturday afternoon in Coral Gables.
To stay ahead of both Virginia and Duke by one game in the loss column, UNC needs to beat the Hurricanes, not an easy task in Miami, and where the 2022 team lost before its unforgettable run to the NCAA championship game. The Heels lost to Miami last year at home, leaving Hubert Davis 0-2 vs. the U.
Following the trip to Florida is one in the other direction to Syracuse. Then a home game against Virginia Tech and a visit to Virginia, the hottest team in the ACC right now. The Cavaliers’ seventh straight win was a 60-38 drubbing of Miami in Charlottesville, which is good news and bad news for Carolina after getting outshot and out-schemed by Clemson.
Good news because the Hurricanes are coming off their worst ACC loss of the season. The bad news is once you have hit rock bottom, the only way to go is up, and the 6-6 Hurricanes have played everyone else in the conference tough with the other five losses by 10 points or less.
They clearly don’t have the same team back that reached Miami’s first Final Four last season, having lost leading scorers Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller to the NBA. Wong, the 2023 ACC Player of the Year, is with the Indiana Pacers on a two-way contract. Miller is in the same boat with the LA Clippers.
Their next two scorers are back with scary statistics. Junior Norchad Omier is Miami’s leading scorer (17.6) and rebounder (10). He plays bigger than his 6-7 height and will be an inside-outside threat to cover for Armando Bacot. The U’s guard-heavy lineup features Matthew Cleveland, Nigel Pack and Wooga Poplar, all averaging 14 points and can shoot the 3-ball, especially Poplar whose outside percentage has improved dramatically up to 44 percent.
Miami shoots better from all three areas than Carolina, and it will take a return to the defense played against Duke to hold these guys under their averages. The Hurricanes are their typically athletic team with free-shooters who when hot can beat anyone in the conference. They shot horribly against Virginia’s stingiest defense in the ACC, 2 for 20 from behind the arc.
It will take Carolina’s best effort from the offensive to defensive ends to come back with victory that is now a “must” if the Tar Heels want to hold their first place standing. The Miami crowd never makes it easy for the visitors, and Saturday afternoon will be no exception.
Featured image via Todd Melet
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
