On Saturday, RJ Davis earned 25 points and No. 3 ranked North Carolina narrowly defeated Miami with a final score of 75-72.

Armando Bacot scored 10 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for the Tar Heels (19-5, 11-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) in their latest match after suffering a 80-76 defeat to Clemson at home on Tuesday. Elliot Cadeau led the team with 19 points, while Harrison Ingram contributed 13 points.

North Carolina gained a permanent advantage by scoring 18 points and only allowing 7 at the beginning of the second half. Bacot’s successful shot increased the lead to 58-48 with 13 minutes and 11 seconds left in the game.

With just 1:10 remaining, Miami (15-9, 6-7) narrowed the gap to 73-71 with a layup by Wooga Poplar. However, North Carolina pulled ahead with a free throw from both Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan, bringing their lead to 75-71.

With only two seconds left, Bacot committed a foul on Poplar. Poplar successfully made the first free throw but purposely missed the second in order to have a chance for an offensive rebound. The officials determined that Miami violated the lane during Poplar’s attempt.

Norchard Omier and Nijel Pack both tallied 20 points for the Hurricanes, but they suffered a 60-38 defeat against Virginia on Monday.

During a 19-5 run in the first half, Omier and Pack each contributed eight points, helping to overcome an eight-point deficit. Pack’s jump shot gave the Hurricanes a 37-33 lead with 3:01 remaining.

Davis’ last-second layup before halftime brought North Carolina to within one point.

Bacot broke the Tar Heels’ record for most games played by appearing in his 156th game, surpassing Leaky Black’s record from 2018 to 2023. As a graduate senior, he also moved up to third on the school’s all-time points list with 2,149 points. Additionally, he tied with Oscar Robertson and Michael Brooks for the ninth highest number of double-doubles in NCAA history with a total of 79.

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The defeat to Clemson will most likely cause the Tar Heels to fall from their spot at No. 3 in the AP poll, which they have maintained for the past three weeks.

UP NEXT

On Tuesday, Syracuse will host North Carolina.

Source: wralsportsfan.com