Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Seth Trimble (7) celebrates with teammates after the sport at Dean E. Smith Heart. Necessary Credit score: Bob Donnan-Imagn Pictures If North Carolina coach Hubert Davis is hyped, think about what his gamers have to be feeling.
The 14th-ranked Tar Heels (19-4, 7-3 Atlantic Coast Convention) are set to go to Miami (18-5, 7-3) for a convention tilt on Tuesday evening. The sport might signify an emotional problem for North Carolina, because the Tar Heels are coming off an exciting 71-68 win over fourth-ranked Duke on Saturday evening.
“I am nonetheless just a little bit numb,” Davis stated after the dramatic house win over North Carolina’s largest rival.
As for the Hurricanes, they’ve had some excessive highs and lows lately, reaching the NCAA Ultimate 4 for the primary time in program historical past in 2023 earlier than struggling by two straight shedding seasons, together with an embarrassing 7-24 file in 2024-25.
Jai Lucas — in his first season as a head coach — has turned across the Hurricanes. And Lucas, 37, is aware of the Tar Heels effectively as a result of he was a Duke assistant/affiliate head coach for the previous three seasons.
The Hurricanes should not deep — they bought simply seven bench factors of their most up-to-date sport, a 74-68 win at Boston Faculty on Saturday. Miami is also final within the ACC in 3-point-percentage protection (35.3) and simply twelfth in 3-point capturing on offense (34.2).
However what the Hurricanes do effectively is rating inside, which is why they lead the ACC in field-goal share (51.1).
“That is how we’re constructed,” Lucas stated. “We’ve got a formulation of factors within the paint. We’re large. We’re bodily. We’ve got to struggle for our id.”
Miami, which is 12-2 at house, begins an imposing entrance line of 6-foot-11, 265-pound Ernest Udeh Jr. together with Malik Reneau (6-9, 235) and Shelton Henderson (6-6, 240). Even capturing guard Dante Allen seems like a linebacker at 6-4, 220.
The fifth starter is level guard Tre Donaldson, who performs larger than his listed dimension (6-2, 195). Donaldson is second on Miami in scoring (15.9) and ranks fourth within the ACC in assists (6.2). Donaldson usually closes robust, which was evident on Saturday as he scored 13 of his 14 factors within the second half.
Donaldson additionally does an excellent job of getting the ball to Reneau, who ranks fifth within the ACC in scoring (20.0), sixth in field-goal share (56.5) and seventeenth in rebounding (6.5). Reneau is a grasp of scoring within the paint, utilizing glass typically.
Udeh ranks second within the ACC in rebounding (9.6).
Henderson ranks nineteenth in scoring (14.5). He is additionally been environment friendly, rating third in field-goal share (61.5).
Allen, a freshman averaging 6.6 factors, has stepped in for starter Tru Washington, who has been out resulting from private causes.
In the meantime, the Tar Heels are large, too — or at the very least tall — as they’re led by Caleb Wilson (6-10, 215) and Henri Veesaar (7-0, 225).
Wilson ranks fourth within the ACC in scoring (20.2) and field-goal share (58.5) and third in rebounding (9.6). Veesaar is tenth in scoring (16.6), fifth in rebounds and second in field-goal share (62.6).
North Carolina’s solely different double-figure scorer is Seth Trimble (14.2). Trimble, as each basketball fan in North Carolina is aware of, hit the last-second 3-pointer to beat Duke on Saturday.
“It is particular,” Trimble stated of his shot. “I’ll keep in mind this for the remainder of my life.”
–Area Stage Media
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