No. 9 North Carolina held on to defeat unranked Miami 75-71 at home on Monday night despite almost giving up a double-digit lead in the second half.
The Tar Heels led by as many as 14 points throughout the contest. Despite this, the Hurricanes trailed by as little as two points during the final stretch of regulation. UNC head
coach Hubert Davis explained what went wrong for his squad down the stretch despite picking up the win.
“Turnovers, whether or not getting the ball across, 10 seconds, throwing lob passes, not coming,” Davis said. “One of the things late in the game, we always talk about the last two feet of every pass, you have to meet, you’ve got to be strong with the basketball. You have to want the basketball in those situations. And so the best scenario for a coach is this one. Fortunate enough to get a win, but also have a lot to talk about.
“I’m looking forward to — we have off [Tuesday] — but I’m really looking forward to watching this entire game on Wednesday with the team to see what we can learn and grow from.”
North Carolina finished the matchup with just one player scoring in double figures on the night. Although, it seems to be all they needed.
Senior guard RJ Davis went off for a career-high 42 points on 14-of-22 shooting, including knocking down seven 3-pointers while also securing six rebounds for the Tar Heels on Monday night. UNC was 2-of-15 from deep without his hot hand.
Hubert Davis ended up playing seven of his guys significant minutes during the contest, but just six of them earned 20 or more minutes on the court against the ‘Canes. Players not named RJ Davis finished the game with a combined for 33 points on the day.
