Three games remain for North Carolina to not only sneak into the top four of ACC standings and earn a double bye in the conference tournament but also earn its way into the NCAA Tournament.
Considering how the Tar Heels (18-11, 11-6 ACC) have played the past four games, it certainly seems possible, especially as UNC gets set for a Saturday matchup in Chapel Hill, N.C., against last-place Miami (6-22, 2-15), which has won just three times in its past 25 games.
North Carolina has flipped a switch since losing by 20 at then-No. 23 Clemson on Feb. 10, reeling off four straight wins, including three wire-to-wire victories. The Tar Heels trailed for a total of just over five minutes in those games.
Offensive rebounding has been key during UNC’s latest burst, when the Tar Heels outrebounded its past three opponents 110-63, including 38-14 on the offensive glass. They outscored opponents 62-21 in second-chance points during those games.
“It has allowed us to be more efficient on the offensive end,” UNC coach Hubert Davis said. “We’re getting more cracks at it, and not only are we getting more offensive rebounds, we’re converting them. When you can do that, that’s huge for us offensively.”
Over the past four games, UNC’s Jae’Lyn Withers has averaged 13.5 points per game while shooting 65.4 percent from the floor, including a 10 of 16 mark from 3-point range. Before the run, Withers averaged just 4.6 points.
Ven-Allen Lubin is experiencing a similar trend with 12.3 points per game on 68.2 percent shooting over the past three outings after averaging just 6.6 for the season.
Miami has lost each of its past four games and is in position to have the worst seasons in program history. The Hurricanes are two losses shy of the school’s single-season record set in the 1991-92 season when they finished 8-24.
The Hurricanes might be without its top scorer once again. Matthew Cleveland (16.3 points) has missed the past two games with an ankle injury. Miami has already been without Nijel Pack (13.9) since his foot injury in December.
“We’re really in a situation where guys have to step up because, again, we haven’t had Nijel since December and now Matt’s missed the last two games,” Miami interim coach Bill Courtney said. “They were the most veteran guys on our team. If you look at our group, they were the only guys besides Paul Djobet that was here last year. Everybody else is new.”
Miami does feature Lynn Kidd, who has averaged 15.8 points on 75.8 percent shooting from the floor over the past four games. There is also the opportunity for AJ Staton-McCray to take advantage of more offensive opportunities, as he did in a 21-point outing against Virginia Tech last Saturday.
–Field Level Media
