North Carolina outlasts game Miami and faces Duke next

NEW YORK — Theo Pinson dived on a loose ball, pulling it away from a Miami player, and quickly pushed it ahead to Cameron Johnson to start a North Carolina fast break that ended with Kenny Williams’ layup.

That put the Tar Heels up 10 on the Hurricanes with 2 minutes left, all but wrapping up a second straight Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament semifinals meeting between North Carolina and Duke in Brooklyn.

Pinson scored a careerhigh 25 points and had 11 rebounds, helping the Tar Heels recover from a horrific start and awful shooting by their leading scorers to beat No. 24 Miami 82-65 on Thursday night.

For a second straight year, Tobacco Road’s biggest rivalry will be played on Flatbush Avenue.

The sixth-seeded Tar Heels (24-9) face the fifthranked and second-seeded Blue Devils for the third time this season on Friday night for a spot in the championship game — just as they did last year in the tournament’s debut at Barclays Center.

“It’s a big-time game,” Pinson said. “I mean, everybody and their mama going to be watching the game tomorrow, everybody knows that. Going to be ready. My teammates are going to be ready.”

It will be the 22nd time Duke and North Carolina play in the ACC Tournament. Duke leads 13-8, including six wins in a row since North Carolina’s victory in the 1998 championship game. Last year, Duke went on to win the ACC title.

“You know, last year we lost this game that’s going to be played tomorrow,” North Carolina coach Roy Williams said. “I think we kept playing.”

The Tar Heels did indeed, winning the NCAA Tournament.

Duke rode freshman star Marvin Bagley III, who had 33 points and 17 rebounds, to a victory against Notre Dame in Thursday night’s first game. Meanwhile, Pinson has had consecutive double-doubles here and six in his last 14 games.

“I don’t see anything common right now,” the 6-foot-6 senior Pinson said, with a smile, about the 6-11 future NBA lottery pick. “We just both have a double-double.”

Ja’Quan Newton, who beat North Carolina nine days ago in Chapel Hill with a 40-foot buzzer beater, scored 17 points for third-seeded Miami (22-9).

“We played a great game against them in Chapel Hill nine or 10 days ago and were hoping to play that well today, but we really showed our inexperience,” Miami coach Jim Larranaga said.

Luke Maye, UNC’s leading scorer, went 1 for 15 from the field and point guard Joel Berry II shot 4 for 14, playing through a twisted ankle that sent him to the locker room early in the second half.

The Tar Heels face Duke next, with each winning at home during the regular season. The Hurricanes’ next stop is the NCAA Tournament.

“Our expectation is to win,” Lonnie Walker IV said. “We’re not going to this tournament to lose.”

JULIE JACOBSON/AP Miami guards Ja’Quan Newton (0) and Lonnie Walker IV (4) sit on the bench in the closing minute of the team’s NCAA college basketball game against the North Carolina in the ACC men’s tournament on Thursday in New York.