Miami plays the first of its final two road games this season at North Carolina on Saturday. North Carolina cannot afford a bad loss to Miami, as the Tar Heels are squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. Miami enters the game at North Carolina with 14 consecutive road losses.
North Carolina enters the game on Saturday with two consecutive wins. Miami suffered its fourth loss this season of 35 or more points with a 97-60 defeat to Duke on Tuesday. Expect a high-scoring game with both teams good offensively and poor defensively.
Miami averages 74.1 points per game and allows 80.3 which is 352nd nationally. North Carolina is 31st nationally averaging 81.4 PPG and 310th averaging 76.6 PPG. The Tar Heels will have a big advantage rebounding averaging 36.7 per game which is 105th nationally. Miami is 331st averaging 31.8 RPG.
North Carolina is led by guard R.J. Davis, who was the 2023-24 ACC Player of the Year. Davis averages 17.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 3.9 assists. North Carolina is not very big with one player in their rotation over 6'8. Miami center Lynn Kidd who averages 11.5 PPG and 7.1 RPG should have a productive game for the Hurricanes.
Miami at North Carolina odds
The Fanduel Sportsbook has Miami as an 18.5-point underdog. Taking Miami and the points is -120. Laying the points with UNC is -102. Miami is +1200 on the moneyline and North Carolina is -3000. The over/under of 161.5 is the highest for any Miami game this season.
Seventeen Miami games have gone over this season and 16 have for North Carolina. The over/under is high, but Miami and North Carolina can both score and as previously stated, neither is great defensively. Miami and North Carolina are both 10-18 versus the spread this season with the Tar Heels having one tie.
Miami versus North Carolina Series History
North Carolina leads the series against Miami 28-10. Miami is 4-11 versus Miami in South Florida, 5-13 at North Carolina and 1-4 on neutral courts, North Carolina won the last meeting: 75-71 on 2/26/2024.
Miami at North Carolina Television
Dave O'Brien will call play-by-play and Jon Crispin will be the analyst for the second consecutive Miami game with a noon tipoff on ESPN. A stream of the game can be found via fubo.TV.
Season nearing its conclusion
Miami at Georgia Tech with a 7 PM tipoff on the ACC Network on Tuesday and hosts North Carolina State at noon on March 8 in the season finale.