The Miami Hurricanes dominated North Carolina in their first meeting 77-62 this season at the Watsco Center. The Tar Heels avenged their loss 78-53 in the ACC Tournament Quarterfinal.
Miami won that game in the first half. They dominated the first half after falling behind 11-2 in the first three and a half minutes. From that point on, Miami went on a 37-11 rampage to close out the first half leading 39-22.
The game was the coming out party for Miami Freshman Bruce Brown. Brown scored 11 of his 30 before halftime to help the Hurricanes sprint out to what turned out to be an insurmountable lead. His 19 in the second half keep the lead in double-digits throughout.
Miami beat North Carolina at its own game. The Tar Heels finished first in the nation in rebounding margin by four boards per game this season. UNC was plus 13 in rebounding per game. Wichita State finished second at plus nine.
Miami finished ahead of North Carolina on the boards with a 41-36 edge. They had turned around a 19-17 deficit in the first half to outrebound UNC 24-17 after halftime.
Miami jumped out to the huge halftime lead by using what was successful for them most of the season, a stifling defense. North Carolina shot 6-29 in the first half, including 2-9 on their three-point attempts. If they hadn’t gone 8-8 from the free throw line, Miami’s halftime lead could have been even bigger.