By R.L. Bynum
CHAPEL HILL — The best version of this North Carolina team is when the Tar Heels play inside out on offense, creating good shots all over the court.
Carolina did that impressively in Saturday’s 92–73 victory over Miami in the Smith Center, firing in 10 3-pointers and scoring 46 points in the paint to earn a season-high fifth consecutive victory.
The Tar Heels (19–11, 12–6 ACC) may be a Tuesday win at Virginia Tech away from putting itself in good position to earn an NCAA tournament berth, doing it with balance and good ball movement.
During the streak, UNC coach Hubert Davis said that the inside-out game has worked well to get maximum pressure on the rim with penetration or rebounds, producing points at the rim (46 points in the paint), from the perimeter (10 3-pointers) and at the free throw line (16 of 24).
“We’ve done a really good job of that and, as a result, it has led us to having some really good looks from three,” said Davis, whose team is averaging 90.8 points in the last five games and has shot 40% or better from outside the arc in five of the last six. “At the times where we can create some steals in our full-court pressure, it makes us even better offensively.”
It wasn’t always smooth, and Davis wasn’t always happy.
When Miami’s fifth 3-pointer, from Divine Ugochukwu, sliced UNC’s lead to four with 7:16 left in the first half, he was irate and called a timeout. He worked up so much of a sweat that he had to towel off.
The message was that the team wasn’t playing with discipline and taking care of the details of boxing out, getting through screens, talking on defense, and contesting shots.
“I wanted to communicate that to them, and I did all week, and I did during that time out,” said Davis, whose team responded with a 15–4 run to end the first half with a 46–31 lead, getting 3-pointers from Jae’Lyn Withers, Seth Trimble (2) and RJ Davis.
“We were asleep a little bit,” Trimble said. “We just kind of came out [of] the gate expecting for them just to hand it to us. But Miami doesn’t want to lose these games, so we kind of had to just understand that and go take it.”
Miami switched defensively on everything on the ball, and the Tar Heels repeatedly took advantage of it, particularly junior transfer Ven-Allen Lubin, who led six to score in double figures with a season-high 19 points.
“When teams do that, you have to punish them with the advantage,” Coach Davis said. “Ven has taken advantage of that and been really effective for us.”
Lubin credited ball movement for giving him more chances around the basket.
“We share the ball just trying to get the defense to move, just to find the open areas, and find the guys at the right time,” Lubin said. “It’s definitely opened up so much on the offensive end.”
RJ Davis, one of three players with four assists, along with Elliot Cadeau and Withers, said Lubin is becoming a key part of UNC’s offensive success.
“He’s making his presence felt,” said Davis, adding that the team’s better ball movement shows the team’s improved connectivity. “We’re doing a good job of feeding the post. But he’s being the force down low in the paint when the ball goes up in the air. He’s been able to kind of just get easy points like that.”
Davis eclipsed the 2,600-point mark with 2,605, the third-most in ACC history.
Drake Powell collected 16 points and six rebounds and RJ Davis pitched in 13 points, 3 3-pointers and 4 rebounds. Trimble again came off the bench and scored 10 points and two 3-pointers but didn’t care that he only got off three shots.
“I’m perfectly fine with it, because my teammates got to eat,” Trimble said. “I got to help my teammates eat, and we won the game by 20 points. So I think guys are just kind of taking that responsibility now, and just taking that role and everybody’s embracing it.”
UNC won the boards for the fourth consecutive game (38–26). The Tar Heels made at least eight 3-pointers for the fifth consecutive game, shooting 50 of 108 (46.2%) during that span.
“Having guys consistently being able to knock down [3s] does help with spacing, and it does give space for guys like Ven to be able to operate down low without so many bodies around him,” Coach Davis said.
Withers (11 points, 10 rebounds, 2 of 2 from 3-point range), who registered his third double-double and second in three games, was 10 of 34 from 3 in the first 25 games but is 16 of 20 in the last five games.
After a brief Miami lead in the first 39 seconds, UNC was in control throughout. Carolina built a 10-point lead with a 21–8 run that included 3-pointers from Withers, Davis and Powell. Matthew Cleveland scored every Miami point in an 8–2 run to cut UNC’s lead to four before the Tar Heels late first-half run.
After leading by 15 at halftime, Lubin scored 10 of UNC’s first 12 points after halftime as the Heels went up by 21 on the third of his three consecutive layups with 15:11 left. After a pair of Ian Jackson layups, UNC went 3½ minutes without a field goal, allowing Miami to cut the lead to 14.
Miami (6–23, 2–16) came no closer and Davis raised the lead to 21 on a 3-pointer with 58 seconds left.
“[The Tar Heels] are playing well right now,” interim Miami coach Bill Courtney said. “They are sharing the basketball and playing like a team. I thought we did a good job on RJ Davis in the first half in particular, and the other guys stepped up.”
Cleveland led Miami with 25 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Brandon Johnson added 20 points, a team-high seven rebounds and three assists.
NOTES — UNC visits Virginia Tech at 7 p.m. Tuesday (ESPN) in its final road game. The Hokies (13–16, 8–10) rallied for a 101–95 overtime victory Saturday against Syracuse. … ESPN’s “College GameDay” will come to the Smith Center on Saturday before the 6:30 senior night game against No. 2 Duke. … Six Tar Heels scored in double figures for the second game in a row, the first time that’s happened in consecutive games since doing that in three straight games in 1988–89 vs. Towson State, San Diego State and Pepperdine. … UNC’s offensive efficiency was 131.7 (points per 100 possessions), its fifth consecutive game at 124.0 or better and the fourth-highest in an ACC game; three of those four have come in the last four games. … The Tar Heels have scored at least 80 points in five straight ACC games for the first time since Feb. 3–17, 2018. … Carolina has scored at least 45 points in four straight first halves for the first time since doing so in the first four games of the 2018–19 season. … Miami didn’t attempt its first free throw until 14:43 remained in the game. … Carolina hadn’t won five consecutive games since winning eight in a row last season from Feb. 17 to March 15. … UNC has won three in a row against Miami after sweeping both games last season, and leads the series 29–10, including 14–5 in the Smith Center. … It was Miami’s fifth consecutive loss.
UNC 92, Miami 73
ACC standings
| Team | League | Overall | NET |
|---|---|---|---|
| No. 2 Duke | 17–1 | 26–3 | 2 |
| No. 13 Clemson | 16–2 | 24–5 | 20 |
| No. 19 Louisville | 16–2 | 23–6 | 25 |
| SMU | 12–6 | 21–8 | 41 |
| Wake Forest | 12–6 | 20–9 | 69 |
| North Carolina | 12–6 | 19–11 | 42 |
| Stanford | 11–7 | 19–10 | 81 |
| Georgia Tech | 9–9 | 15–14 | 110 |
| Virginia Tech | 8–10 | 13–16 | 154 |
| Florida State | 7–11 | 16–13 | 90 |
| Pittsburgh | 7–11 | 16–13 | 60 |
| Virginia | 7–11 | 14–15 | 102 |
| California | 6–12 | 13–16 | 126 |
| Notre Dame | 6–12 | 12–17 | 103 |
| Syracuse | 6–12 | 12–17 | 145 |
| Boston College | 4–14 | 12–17 | 199 |
| N.C. State | 4–14 | 11–18 | 137 |
| Miami | 2–16 | 6–23 | 223 |
Saturday’s results
North Carolina 92, Miami 73
No. 13 Clemson 71, Virginia 68
Virginia Tech 101, Syracuse 95, OT
Georgia Tech 87, N.C. State 62
Stanford 73, SMU 68
Wake Forest 74, Notre Dame 71
No. 19 Louisville 79, Pittsburgh 68
No. 2 Duke 100, Florida State 65
California 82, Boston College 71
Tuesday’s games
North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Miami at Georgia Tech, 7 p.m, ACCN
Syracuse at SMU, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Florida State at Virginia, 9 p.m., ACCN
Wednesday’s games
Clemson at Boston College, 7 p.m., ESPNU
Pittsburgh at N.C. State, 7 p.m., ACCN
California at No. 19 Louisville, 9 p.m., ACCN
Stanford at Notre Dame, 9 p.m., ESPNU
Saturday’s games
N.C. State at Miami, noon, The CW
Stanford at No. 19 Louisville, 2 p.m., ESPNU
Georgia Tech at Wake Forest, 2:15, The CW
SMU at Florida State, 4 p.m., ESPNU
California at Notre Dame, 4 p.m., ACCN
Virginia Tech at Clemson, 6 p.m., ESPNU
Boston College at Pitt, 6 p.m., ACCN
No. 2 Duke at North Carolina, 6:30, ESPN
Virginia at Syracuse, 8 p.m., ACCN
| Date | Month/day | Time/ score | Opponent/event (current ranks) | TV/ record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | ||||
| 15 | Tuesday | W, 84–76 | at No. 19 Memphis | Exhibition |
| 27 | Sunday | W, 127–63 | vs. Johnson C. Smith | Exhibition |
| November | ||||
| 4 | Monday | W, 90–76 | vs. Elon | 1–0 |
| 8 | Friday | L, 92–89 | at No. 17 Kansas | 1–1 |
| 15 | Friday | W, 107–55 | vs. American | 2–1 |
| 22 | Friday | W, 85–69 | at Hawai’i | 3–1 |
| Maui Invitational | ||||
| 25 | Monday | W, 92–90 | Dayton | 4–1 |
| 26 | Tuesday | L, 85–72 | No. 1 Auburn | 4–2 |
| 27 | Wednesday | L, 94–91, OT | No. 8 Michigan State | 4–3 |
| December | ACC/SEC Men’s Challenge | |||
| 4 | Wednesday | L, 94–79 | vs. No. 6 Alabama | 4–4 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 7 | Saturday | W, 68–65 | vs. Georgia Tech | 5–4, 1–0 ACC |
| 14 | Saturday | W, 93–67 | vs. LaSalle | 6–4 |
| Jumpman Invitational in Charlotte | ||||
| 17 | Tuesday | L, 90–84 | No. 3 Florida | 6–5 |
| CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden | ||||
| 21 | Saturday | W, 76–74 | UCLA | 7–5 |
| ————————— | ||||
| 29 | Sunday | W, 97–81 | vs. Campbell | 8–5 |
| January | ||||
| 1 | Wednesday | L, 83–70 | at Louisville | 8–6, 1–1 |
| 4 | Saturday | W, 74–73 | at Notre Dame | 9–6, 2–1 |
| 7 | Tuesday | W, 82–67 | vs. SMU | 10–6, 3–1 |
| 11 | Saturday | W, 63–61 | at N.C. State | 11–6, 4–1 |
| 15 | Wednesday | W, 79–53 | vs. California | 12–6, 5–1 |
| 18 | Saturday | L, 72–71 | vs. Stanford | 12–7, 5–2 |
| 21 | Tuesday | L, 67–66 | at Wake Forest | 12–8, 5–3 |
| 25 | Saturday | W, 102–96, OT | vs. Boston College | 13–8, 6–3 |
| 28 | Tuesday | L, 73–65 | at Pittsburgh | 13–9, 6–4 |
| February | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | L, 87–70 | at No. 2 Duke | 13–10, 6–5 |
| 8 | Saturday | W, 67–66 | vs. Pittsburgh | 14–10, 7–5 |
| 10 | Monday | L, 85–65 | at No. 13 Clemson | 14–11, 7–6 |
| 15 | Saturday | W, 88–82 | at Syracuse | 15–11, 8–6 |
| 19 | Wednesday | W, 97–73 | vs. N.C. State | 16–11, 9–6 |
| 22 | Saturday | W, 81–66 | vs. Virginia | 17–11, 10–6 |
| 24 | Monday | W, 96–85 | at Florida State | 18–11, 11–6 |
| March | ||||
| 1 | Saturday | W, 92–73 | vs. Miami | 19–11, 12–6 |
| 4 | Tuesday | 7 p.m. | at Virginia Tech | ESPNU |
| 8 | Saturday | 6:30 | vs. No. 2 Duke | ESPN |
| 11– 15 | Tues.–Sat. | ACC tournament Spectrum Center, Charlotte |
Photo courtesy of UNC Athletics
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