ACC Tournament: Hurricanes vs. Tar Heels tournament game preview

Miami beat Syracuse on Wednesday afternoon and earned the right to face the top seeded Tar Heels in the ACC quarterfinals. What do we need to know about the game?

For the second straight season, Syracuse was in bubble territory with an opportunity to win a game and get a chance at the top-seeded Tar Heels.

For the second straight season, Syracuse lost that game and bubble questions will remain until Selection Sunday.

All that means is that UNC will be facing off against Miami in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinals.

The last time these two teams played, Miami came out on top in Coral Gables, handing the Tar Heels their second conference loss of the season.

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Let’s look at some important questions that are surrounding this match-up.

What happened the last time these two teams played?

The Tar Heels were coming off a quick turnaround, less than 48 hrs, as they had to travel to Miami for the first meeting.

Even though the Tar Heels came out strong with an 11-2 run, things started to unravel fast. Miami would call timeout and then come out and end the half on a 37-11 run.

UNC never recovered and lost 77-62.

Miami got double digit scores from all three of their starting guards including a game-high 30 from freshman Bruce Brown. They also got to the line 30 times where they hit 24 free throws compared to just 19 attempts for the Tar Heels.

UNC was led by Justin Jackson who had 21, his third straight 20 point game. However, the rest of the starters combined for only 16 points. The UNC starting back court of Joel Berry II and Kenny Williams finished with four points on 1-for-16 shooting from the field.

Jan 28, 2017; Coral Gables, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes guard Bruce Brown (11) drives to the basket as North Carolina Tar Heels forward Luke Maye (32) defends during the second half at Watsco Center. Miami won 77-62. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /

Will Things be different this time around?

Well, first of all, Theo Pinson, who did not play in Miami, will be starting in this contest.

Secondly, Joel Berry II is on fire and it is tournament time.

In two of the last three tournaments Berry has played in he has walked away with MVP honors, including last season’s ACC tournament.

The other big difference is the rest factor.

UNC has not played since Saturday when they beat Duke at home. Meanwhile, Miami played Wednesday in a close game against Syracuse.

This time it will be the Hurricanes with less than 24 hours to rest up.

The game not being in Miami takes away a home court advantage the Hurricanes clearly took advantage of as they knocked the Tar Heels to the floor. All these factors should lead to a much closer game with a great chance at a different outcome for Carolina.

So who wins and why?

Well, all the factors mentioned above are in favor of the Tar Heels.

Toss in the fact that there is still a one seed on the line, not a given UNC definitely gets one, and there is a lot of reasons for UNC to win.

Oh, and there is the whole revenge factor in a game that was a down point in the Tar Heel’s conference season.

Prediction: UNC 96 Miami 85. Tar Heels advance to play Louisville in the Semifinals with a one seed on the line.

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