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Winners of five straight and eight of their last nine, the Miami Hurricanes find themselves tied with North Carolina atop the ACC standings heading into Saturday’s showdown. UNC opened the door by losing three of five, including a stunner to Duke on Wednesday.
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HOW THE MIAMI HURRICANES CAN COVER THE SPREAD
A 16-point loss to North Carolina State at the end of January was a huge shock to the No. 11 Hurricanes. It also served as a wake-up call. Miami hasn’t lost since that puzzling defeat, extending its winning streak to five straight with Wednesday’s rout of Virginia Tech.
One Miami player who could have a big impact on the game is 7-foot Tony Jekiri, who’s been a key to the Hurricanes’ success this season. He’s not a big scorer, but he’s a main reason why the Hurricanes are tied for the ACC lead.
Jekiri has the size and strength to combat UNC’s Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks in the block and he’s played so well this season, coach Jim Larranage said Jekiri deserves serious consideration for ACC defensive player of the year. He’s especially adept at helping guards defend ball screens, forcing the opposition to its second or third option.
Jekiri concedes his defense is ahead of his offense, in part because the Hurricanes have other players to do the scoring. Four teammates, led by Sheldon McClellan at 16.1, are averaging in double figures for the well-balanced Canes.
HOW THE NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS CAN COVER THE SPREAD
The good thing for North Carolina is that there is little time to sulk in the aftermath of Wednesday’s gut-wrenching loss to rival Duke. The Tar Heels need to pick themselves up for Saturday’s first-place showdown with Miami.
North Carolina must find itself – and quickly. The Heels had Duke beat and gift wrapped the upset despite the performance of Brice Johnson, who scored 29 points with 19 rebounds. Johnson continues to be a pillar in the middle and has become the best player on the team.
North Carolina has the talent to compete with any team in the country, but their discipline to close big games is a question now.
If the real North Carolina is ever planning to show up, now is the time. With first place at stake against the Hurricanes, the Tar Heels can erase the memory of Wednesday’s disaster. They are facing adversity few expected at the beginning of the season and they must respond.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
UNC desperately needs soul-searching after its loss to Duke. Once the preseason No. 1 team in the country, the Tar Heels have lost three of their last five games. One of their two wins during that stretch was a come-from-behind victory over Boston College, one of the worst teams in the ACC. North Carolina looked the part of a Final Four contender for 38 of 40 minutes against Duke. But Roy’s Boys are beginning to reel as the calendar turns from February to March. Johnson was dominant against Duke and, for some reason, the Heels avoided him late in the basketball game. Perimeter shooting was a sore spot with Marcus Paige and Joel Berry combining to go 4 of 22 and just 1 of 9 from behind the arc. All is not lost, however. The Tar Heels remain tied atop the ACC with Miami and it’s hard to think they can lose two in a row in the Dean Dome.
North Carolina 73, Miami 68
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