North Carolina Basketball: UNC’s 5 Most Important Games Left

Jan 8, 2014; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Miami (Fl) Hurricanes center Tonye Jekiri (23) with the ball as forward Erik Swoope (21) is in the foreground and North Carolina Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks (3) looks on in the first half at Dean E. Smith Student Activities Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Feb. 28 at Miami (14-8, 4-5)

No team in ACC play has had the Tar Heels’ number over the past two seasons like the Hurricanes.

North Carolina will venture to Miami looking to turn around a series the Hurricanes have owned with four straight wins, including victories in their last two visits to Chapel Hill.

Like N.C. State, Miami was hot starting its conference slate opening 4-2 and grabbing a Top 25 ranking. Three straight losses to Georgia Tech, Florida State and Louisville, though, have pushed the Hurricanes back into a ninth-place tie in the league race.

Seven-foot junior center Tonye Jekiri leads the ACC snaring 10 rebounds a game, while red-shirt junior guard Angel Rodriguez ranks third in the conference with his 2.05 steals per game.

The Hurricanes have been one of the country’s better teams in taking care of the ball ranking 15th with only 10.3 turnovers per game and setting up an interesting matchup against a Tar Heels team that ranks among the league’s top five averaging nearly seven steals an outing.