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North Carolina at Miami: Gameday Open Thread

Tar Heels head to South Florida in search of a win

Three days after North Carolina's football team headed to South Florida for the Orange Bowl, Roy Williams' basketball team makes the trip south for a game against the Miami Hurricanes. 

The Tar Heels are coming off a one-point win over Notre Dame that snapped a two-game ACC losing streak and gave the Tar Heels a much needed game-winning shot in the final minute, courtesy of Leaky Black.

North Carolina would like to build on that success with a road win to get to .500 in the conference. The Tar Heels are still looking for the right combination of players, as Roy Williams has shuffled his starting lineup each of the last two games. 

Williams is usually fiercely loyal to his starters, but with the Tar Heels struggling, he's pulled the trigger on changes. Garrison Brooks—the ACC Preseason Player of the Year—has started both games on the bench, and junior Leaky Black, senior Andrew Platek, and  freshman point guards Caleb Love and RJ Davis have each come off the bench at least once.

While Brooks has been struggling in recent games, Day'Ron Sharpe had his best game yet in the win over Notre Dame. 

Miami is led by Isaiah Wong. The Hurricanes' preseason All-ACC point guard Chris Lykes has been out with what he's called the worst ankle sprain of his career, and coach Jim Larranaga said Lykes would miss the Carolina game as well.

Miami is also without Sam Waardenburg and Rodney Miller. Both big men suffered season-ending injuries. The Hurricanes got back Kameron McGusty, who missed the last three weeks with a hamstring injury, over the weekend. 

Your starters: Black, Davis, Walton, Bacot, Sharpe.

Brooks comes off the bench for the third straight game. Love also dropped from the lineup.

Tip is delayed because the Heisman trophy ceremony ran long but we're ready to start now. 

Miami commits offensive fouls on its first two possessions. 

UNC saves a bad pass that bounced off Leaky Black's chest, but then Day'Ron Sharpe travels. We go to the under 16 with four turnovers for each team. UNC leads 9-8 in a sloppy game.

Both teams still turning it over like crazy. UNC has six, Miami seven. 13 of the 21 points scored in the game have been off turnovers.

UNC leads at the under 12, 13-8. 

Carolina struggling with simple entry passes to the post. UNC now has eight turnovers to Miami's seven. Hurricanes lead at under 8, 15-14.

UNC hits from three to snap an 0-for-11 slump. Refs are reviewing to see if off-ball foul occurred before the shot. Statbroadcast already has the points back off the board, so the slump is likely continuing. 

Three by Walton is good! 21-19 Miami. And then Sharpe is sent to the line for the off-ball foul that was called. Hits one for a four-point possession.

UNC headed to the line after the under four. Miami leads 25-22.

Davis misses a three at the buzzer and UNC heads to half up 32-30. The Heels are shooting 5-of-11 from three but just 4-of-18 from two. Heels had 11 turnovers, Miami 8.

Love and Brooks in for Davis and Sharpe to start the second half. 

Another entry pass to the post gets knocked away. UNC up to 13 turnovers. 

Bacot picks up his third foul less than three minutes into the second half. 

Miami following the Georgia Tech blueprint. They've hit five of six to start the half. Brooks throws away another attempt at an entry pass.

Black hits his third three of the game, matching his season total, to stop the UNC bleeding. We hit the under 16 with UNC down 1, 41-40. 

With Bacot struggling with fouls and Brooks still off his game, Miami is dominating in the paint, 26-10.

Miami now on a 13-3 run to pull ahead by six. Canes are just out-toughing UNC right now. Sharpe takes a long two with his foot on the arc and three Miami players underneath. Canes up 51-43 and doing what they want at this point. 

Brooks ... a senior ... fouls a three-point shooter. His body language is back to the worst of last year. Every time they show him, his head is down, frustrated look on his face. At the under 12, it's 53-45

Looking ahead, Carolina's next two games are home against Clemson and at Florida State. Could be 1-5 in the ACC by the time Wake Forest comes to town on 1/19. 

Miami is now out-rebounding UNC. 

Miami drives the lane and dunks. Brooks commits an offensive foul. Carolina is getting punched in the mouth by a team who doesn't have its point guard, top wing or two big men. 

UNC with a rally to cut into the Miami lead. Heels then miss a pair of layups and Leaky Black picks up an offensive foul to send us to the under four. Miami up 61-57

Leaky misses two free throws with a chance to put UNC in the lead, then hits a three to put Heels on top, 63-61, 1:36 left. Carolina looking to steal a win. 

Miami ties it at the line, 58 seconds left. Now Brooks to the line with 46 left. He hits both, then Miami loses it out of bounds against UNC pressure.

Love turns it over with 25 seconds left, UNC's 20th. Miami down 2 with the ball, 20.5 left. 

what an ending! Miami with a looping shot with 16 left to tie, Platek hits a driving layup along baseline with 3 left to put UNC on top, and a three-quarter court desperation shot bounces off front rim. UNC wins 67-65.