Can Oregon Follow Miami’s Example to Beat North Carolina?

Perhaps even more amazing is that Isaiah Hicks and Justin Jackson combined to go 5-8 from the floor in the first half while their teammates were 1-21. The Tar Heels began the half 3-5 as they built the 11-2 lead. UNC finished the remainder of the first half shooting 3-24.

North Carolina continued their cold shooting as they began the second half missing their first three shots. That was a 3-27 cold streak over a nearly 20-minute stretch spanning the two halves.

Carolina was able to right their offense by going 15-31 in the second half. Brown and Ja’Quan Newton dominated North Carolina. In addition to Brown’s 30 point explosion, Newton finished with 18 points on 6-14 from the floor, 6-6 from the line, three assists, and two turnovers.

Miami’s backcourt dominance of UNC point guard Joel Berry was surprising. Berry was second-team All-ACC this season. In Coral Gables, he was held scoreless from the field. He went 0-8 from the floor and 0-4 on threes. He made his only free throws to finish with a season low tying two points.

Miami won the game by dictating the pace, dominating on the boards in the second half and playing great defense against one of the highest-scoring teams in the country.

Like North Carolina, Oregon likes to run. They finished sixth in the country with 3000 points this season. Their 78.9 points per game ranked 49th in the country. UNC’s 3229 points are second nationally and their 85.9 points per game is ninth in the country.