.png&width=36&height=36&type=webp)
University of North Carolina Athletics
Know Your Opponent: Miami
February 26, 2018 | Men's Basketball
By Bobby Hundley
Miami (HurricaneSports.com)
Location: Coral Gables, Fla.
Rankings: UM - No. 41 KenPom, NR AP; UNC - No. 7 KenPom, No. 9 AP
Records: UM - 20-8, 9-7 ACC; UNC - 22-7, 11-5 ACC
RPI/SOS: UM - 31/57; UNC - 5/2
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 21-7 (UNC 78, Miami 53, March 9, 2017, Barclays Center)
The injury bug that has plagued ACC basketball in 2018 hit Coral Gables on January 30 when sophomore standout Bruce Brown was ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a foot injury that required surgery two days later. With the news last week that Brown will miss the ACC Tournament as well, Miami will now be forced to battle for its postseason destiny without one of its best players.
Jim Larrañaga's Hurricanes won three straight in the immediate aftermath of the Brown news, including an 84-75 victory at Virginia Tech that stands as one of the club's four Quadrant 1 wins on the year. The Canes then dropped three straight before pulling out a pair of comeback wins over Notre Dame and BC, the latter requiring 15 points over the final 2:04 and a Lonnie Walker 3 in the closing seconds. And so Miami sits in a three-way tie for sixth in the league, just one game out of a Brooklyn double bye as we enter the regular season's final week.
Walker has been one of the ACC's top freshmen, and the 6-5 wing leads the Canes in scoring against league foes. As a whole, Miami is extremely balanced offensively - seven players are averaging between 8.5 and 11.6 points per game this season. While UM ranks ninth in the league in offensive efficiency (league games only), right around the middle of the ACC with Virginia Tech and Louisville, the Hurricanes are in the top third of the league in both turnover percentage and free throw rate.
Miami ranks sixth in the league in defense due in large part to its ability to rebound its opponent's misses. Even without Brown for the last month, the Canes still trail only Wake Forest in defensive rebounding percentage in ACC games. Starters Anthony Lawrence and Dewan Heull both rank in the top 10 in the league in DR%, and 6-10 reserves Ebuka Izundu and Sam Waardenburg give UM one of the deepest front lines in the conference.
In the backcourt, veteran Ja'Quan Newton is the lone senior in the regular rotation. He is joined by sophomore sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic and the dynamic freshman duo of Walker and Chris Lykes, a 5-7 playmaker who has been forced into a bigger role with the loss of Brown. Of the volume shooters on the team, only Lawrence is making more than 40 percent of his 3s, though Waardenburg has knocked down nearly half of his 27 attempts from beyond the arc.
Tuesday night is Miami's last chance at a Quadrant 1 win before Brooklyn, and a win over the Tar Heels would solidify the Canes' postseason resume and keep the door open for the coveted ACC double bye. And with the NCAA bubble growing more crowded by the day, avoiding an 0-2 finish would go a long way toward making Selection Sunday less stressful.
Miami (HurricaneSports.com)
Location: Coral Gables, Fla.
Rankings: UM - No. 41 KenPom, NR AP; UNC - No. 7 KenPom, No. 9 AP
Records: UM - 20-8, 9-7 ACC; UNC - 22-7, 11-5 ACC
RPI/SOS: UM - 31/57; UNC - 5/2
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 21-7 (UNC 78, Miami 53, March 9, 2017, Barclays Center)
The injury bug that has plagued ACC basketball in 2018 hit Coral Gables on January 30 when sophomore standout Bruce Brown was ruled out for the rest of the regular season with a foot injury that required surgery two days later. With the news last week that Brown will miss the ACC Tournament as well, Miami will now be forced to battle for its postseason destiny without one of its best players.
Jim Larrañaga's Hurricanes won three straight in the immediate aftermath of the Brown news, including an 84-75 victory at Virginia Tech that stands as one of the club's four Quadrant 1 wins on the year. The Canes then dropped three straight before pulling out a pair of comeback wins over Notre Dame and BC, the latter requiring 15 points over the final 2:04 and a Lonnie Walker 3 in the closing seconds. And so Miami sits in a three-way tie for sixth in the league, just one game out of a Brooklyn double bye as we enter the regular season's final week.
Walker has been one of the ACC's top freshmen, and the 6-5 wing leads the Canes in scoring against league foes. As a whole, Miami is extremely balanced offensively - seven players are averaging between 8.5 and 11.6 points per game this season. While UM ranks ninth in the league in offensive efficiency (league games only), right around the middle of the ACC with Virginia Tech and Louisville, the Hurricanes are in the top third of the league in both turnover percentage and free throw rate.
Miami ranks sixth in the league in defense due in large part to its ability to rebound its opponent's misses. Even without Brown for the last month, the Canes still trail only Wake Forest in defensive rebounding percentage in ACC games. Starters Anthony Lawrence and Dewan Heull both rank in the top 10 in the league in DR%, and 6-10 reserves Ebuka Izundu and Sam Waardenburg give UM one of the deepest front lines in the conference.
In the backcourt, veteran Ja'Quan Newton is the lone senior in the regular rotation. He is joined by sophomore sharpshooter Dejan Vasiljevic and the dynamic freshman duo of Walker and Chris Lykes, a 5-7 playmaker who has been forced into a bigger role with the loss of Brown. Of the volume shooters on the team, only Lawrence is making more than 40 percent of his 3s, though Waardenburg has knocked down nearly half of his 27 attempts from beyond the arc.
Tuesday night is Miami's last chance at a Quadrant 1 win before Brooklyn, and a win over the Tar Heels would solidify the Canes' postseason resume and keep the door open for the coveted ACC double bye. And with the NCAA bubble growing more crowded by the day, avoiding an 0-2 finish would go a long way toward making Selection Sunday less stressful.
Carolina Insider - Men's Basketball Notes & Blue-White Game Preview (Full Segment) - October 3, 2025
Friday, October 03
Derek Dixon intro press conference
Friday, October 03
Jonathan Powell intro press conference
Friday, October 03
Carolina Insider - Interview with Gavin Gibson (Full Segment) - October 3, 2025
Friday, October 03