Top 3 Observations from North Carolina's Loss to Miami

The North Carolina Tar Heels suffered their first loss in six games, falling to the Miami Hurricanes 75-66 on Tuesday night at the Watsco Center. It was a disappointing result for the Tar Heels, who were coming off a buzzer-beater win over the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday.

While North Carolina demonstrated plenty of positives on Tuesday night, it did revert to some of its troubling tendencies that had led to struggles in January. The Tar Heels got punched in the mouth early and were able to slightly recover, but were in a battle for the entire contest.

With all that being said, here are three observations from North Carolina's loss to the Hurricanes.

Bench Production was Stellar

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Jonathan Powell (11) drives to the basket against Miami Hurricanes forward Timotej Malovec (88) during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Tar Heels' starting lineup was uncharacteristically out of sorts, but the bench kept up their end of the bargain. On a typical night, North Carolina would have ran away with this game with how the bench played.

The second unit totaled 24 points, including eight from Kyan Evans, who recorded eight points and four assists while shooting 3-of-4 from the field, including 2-of-3 from the field. The Colorado State transfer was exuding confidence that had not been there since the early part of the season.

Luka Bogavac was also serviceable, but his recklessness led to him only playing 11 minutes. Jonathan Powell was also productive on both ends of the floor and earned minutes down the stretch.

Caleb Wilson Looked Fatigue

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) looks on against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The freshman forward struggled throughout the game, and it was evident as Wilson totaled three points in the first half. Wilson recorded 12 points, six rebounds, and three blocks while shooting 4-of-10 from the field.

After playing 40 minutes against Duke on Saturday, the 6-foot-9, 216-pound forward appeared to be affected by the heavy workload, and understandably so. Wilson left several shots short and he was not as patient and elusive around defenders. He will have a few days off to recalibrate against the Pittsburgh Panthers.

North Carolina's Starting Backcourt was Abysmal

Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Derek Dixon (3) dribbles the basketball as Miami Hurricanes guard Dante Allen (35) defends during the second half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Seth Trimble and Derek Dixon were ineffective against Miami, combining to shoot 1-of-14 from the field, including 0-of-9 from three-point range. All season, the Tar Heels' starting lineup has been able to carry the team. Unfortunately, while the bench had its best collective outing of the season, the starting lineup failed to meet its standards.

Veesaar, who led the team with nine points in the first half, only score three points in the second half. It seems that the emotions and physical toll from Saturday weighed down North Carolina on Tuesday.

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