Tar Heels ground Canes
The undermanned University of Miami basketball team kept it close for much of the game, but couldn’t hang on at home against No. 13 North Carolina.
Finally, a marquee home game for the University of Miami men’s basketball team, a game big enough that ESPN2 cameras and a near-sellout crowd showed up.
The UM student section was full for the first time all season.
The Hurricanes fed off the energy at the Watsco Center, were tied with 13th-ranked North Carolina at the half, trailed by just two with five minutes to go, but fell short 85-76.
That Miami kept it so close for so long was remarkable considering the unranked Canes rotated just seven players and the Tar Heels had the luxury of 11.
Despite limited manpower, UM managed to cut the Tar Heels’ lead to one point with under seven minutes to play. Carolina responded with four threes in the next five possessions — two by Cam Johnson, two by Kenny Williams — and the game got out of reach for the Hurricanes. Johnson scored a game-high 22 points and made 5 of 7 three-pointers.
“Did they miss a shot in the second half? I don’t recall,” UM coach Jim Larrañaga said, halfjoking, after the game. “That was a terrific performance by North Carolina and a valiant effort by our guys. It was a very entertaining game. Both teams played very hard and very well. But Cam Johnson was just incredible in the second half. ... There was no way to stop him or the Tar Heels.”
Larrañaga conceded that the thin roster makes it hard for the Hurricanes (9-8, 1-4 in ACC) to compete.
“When it got to the last eight or 10 minutes, I thought Carolina was rolling and we were drained,”
he said. “There are a lot of really great players in this league, and some Hall of Fame coaches coaching them. So, they’re not so easy to beat. Even if you have a terrific team, they probably have more guns than you do, more weapons, more size, more athletic ability and that was on display. Our guys played as well as we can, but eventually, it’s a battle of attrition.”
He said he was happy to be tied at the half, but his team couldn’t sustain that level of play.
“They scored so quickly and so often from so many different ways,” Larrañaga said. “You’ve got Luke Maye, the preseason Player of the Year. Cam Johnson is 6-9 and shooting threes. Nassir Little coming in off the bench, projected to be a Top 10 pick
in the NBA Draft. Coby White, a 6-5 point-guard going against our guy who’s 5-7, and Kenny Williams is a fourth or fifth option and he’s like an NBA guy.
“We don’t have enough size and girth and manpower to battle the teams in our league on regular basis. Can we do it for periods of time? Yes. But, it’s hard over a long period of time.”
UNC coach Roy Williams agreed his team had an edge with a deeper rotation.
“It was a factor, there’s no question,” Williams said. “We had some guys play major minutes, but even if you get a two- or three-minute break it’s helpful. It’s really hard for Jimmy and his staff right now with seven guys. I don’t know how you practice.”
The Tar Heels’ men’s and women’s teams play in Coral Gables this weekend, so a lot of UNC fans
made the trek down. At least one third of the crowd was decked in Carolina blue. Every time Maye made a basket, a large segment of the audience howled “Luuuuuuke!”
With the game in hand in the final minute, the UNC fans erupted into “Let’s Go Tar Heels!”
Hurricanes point guard Chris Lykes, at 5-7 the smallest man on the court, made a big impact. When he wasn’t knocking down threes, he was darting through and around the Tar Heels defense for layups or assists. He finished with a team-high 20 points, made 4 of 8 threepoint attempts, had six assists and two steals.
“His speed and quickness, my gosh, and he can shoot from outside, drive the ball to the basket,” Williams said. “He’s a complete player. Lawrence was big for them, too. He was a bad matchup for us. But Chris is so quick and
clever with ball, he’s hard to keep in front of you.”
Anthony Lawrence went 5 for 7 for 18 points. Zach Johnson made 7 of 10 free throws and scored 17 points.
The Heels (14-4, 4-1 ACC) had five players in double figures. In addition to Johnson, Williams had 16, White 15, Maye 14, and freshman Little 12.
Little was greeted with some boos from Miami fans, as he was the recruit who got the UM program mixed up in last year’s FBI investigation into college basketball.
UM junior forward Dewan Hernandez remained ineligible and watched from the bench for the 17th game in a row. He has applied for reinstatement from the NCAA, and is expected to get an answer next week. The Canes’ next game is at Syracuse on Thursday.