Depleted Miami Basketball overwhelmed in loss at North Carolina
The Miami basketball team was depleted by injuries without two of their leading scorers best player off the bench as the Hurricanes suffered their second straight blowout loss with a 94-71 defeat at North Carolina on Saturday afternoon.
Junior guard Chris Lykes was out with a groin injury and classmate Kameron McGusty was missing with back spasms to add to key reserve forward Keith Stone missing his sixth straight game after reaggravating a knee injury he suffered last year playing for Florida. The Miami basketball team was crushed 94-71 by North Carolina.
Miami was unable to get anything going offensively and North Carolina buried the Hurricanes getting off to a 17-4 lead nine minutes into the game. Without leading scorer Lykes and third-leading scorer, McGusty, Miami did not have enough offense. Miami shot 39.3 percent in the first half and made just 1-14 three-point attempts.
Playing just six players in the first half, only junior center Rodney Miller and freshman forward Anthony Walker were efficient offensively in the opening 20 minutes. Miller led the Miami basketball team scoring eight points on 4-4 shooting. Walker nearly reached his career-high in the first half with seven points on 3-5 shooting.
The Miami freshmen trio of Walker and guards Isaiah Wong and Harlond Beverly stepped up in the second half after the outcome was decided. North Carolina coasted in the final 20 minutes after taking a 51-27 lead into the break. Wong finished with a career-high 19 points, 17 in the second half and Walker scored a career-high 14.
Miller finished with 13 points and four rebounds in the defeat. North Carolina was playing without star freshman guard Cole Anthony. Senior guard Brandon Robinson set a career-high for the Tar Heels with 29 points. Robinson made 11-16 shots from the floor and 6-10 three-point attempts to pace North Carolina.
Armando Bacot nearly had a triple-double for North Carolina with 19 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists. Garrison Brooks finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Senior guard Dejan Vasiljevic struggled as the primary focus of the Tar Heels defense. The Aussie finished with eight points on 3-13 from the floor.
Miami is expected to be healthy as they return home to host Virginia Tech on Tuesday night. According to the Miami broadcast on Saturday the Hurricanes are expected to have Lykes, McGusty, and Stone return. The brutal stretch to begin the season will dissipate as Miami has an easier schedule in the last six weeks of 2020.