May seizes day

Don’t try to tell the North Carolina players they don’t know an effective strategy when they see it

One week after watching Wake Forest repeatedly draw fouls and convert on free-throw opportunities, No. 6 North Carolina pounded the ball inside against a smaller Miami team and reaped the rewards with an 87-67 victory Saturday at the Smith Center.

“We just tried to attack them as much as possible, get them in foul trouble,” said center Sean May, who scored 17 points in perhaps his most dominant performance of the season. “Anytime you get their best rebounders out of the game, it puts a stop on their team.”

May’s bruising play in the paint — he grabbed 15 rebounds in the game — had an additional consequence beyond points on the board.

It forced William Frisby and Anthony King, the Hurricanes’ only two starters taller than 6-foot-2, into early foul trouble and created a parade of Tar Heels to the foul line in the first half.

North Carolina (16-2, 5-1 in the ACC) took advantage of its opportunities, sinking 17 of 19 shots from the charity stripe in the first half.

MEN'S BASKETBALL Miami 67 UNC 87

“We’re making guys pay,” said guard Melvin Scott, who finished with seven points in 14 minutes of play. “When they foul us, you’ve got to make them pay. They’re free throws. They’re free. You’ve got to hit those.”

And the Hurricanes (12-5, 3-3) almost completely abandoned any effort to battle in the paint once their two biggest interior threats went to the bench.

“Miami is guard-oriented, so guard-oriented,” May said. “We knew they didn’t throw the ball in (the post) much, just by scouting them. We knew we could help out on the guards more and just try to deny the post.”

And that help from inside allowed North Carolina to smother the Hurricanes on the perimeter.

Guillermo Diaz scored 24 second-half points, many in acrobatic fashion, and finished with 30. But guards Robert Hite and Anthony Harris, both typically double-figure scorers, shot a combined 4-for-26 from the field.

Hite, who normally shoots better than 40 percent from 3-point range, missed all seven of his attempts from behind the arc Saturday.

“Jackie (Manuel) and Rashad (McCants) did a great job, and when I come off the bench, I have to give all my energy to try to wear those guys out,” Scott said. “If you keep running them offensively, they’ll wear down.”

Despite its dominance both inside and out, though, North Carolina couldn’t extend its lead into double-digits until the waning moments of the first half.

But a 3-pointer from Manuel — one of two the senior hit in the game — sparked the Tar Heels on an 11-1 run to close the half and a 7-0 run immediately following the break.

“The last four minutes in the half was the difference in the game,” said Miami coach Frank Haith. “We turned the ball over a couple of times, and we put them on the free-throw line quite a bit during that stretch, and they were very effective.”

The Hurricanes never challenged again.

Manuel finished the game with 14 points, tying a season high, and a total of five Tar Heels broke double figures.

But freshman sensation Marvin Williams, a model of consistency throughout his rookie campaign so far, struggled with his shot and managed just seven points.

In the end, though, the Tar Heels’ ability to take what was given — especially at the free-throw line — made the difference in yet another lopsided victory at the Smith Center.

“I talked to our guys before the game, and I said, ‘Buildings don’t win games — players do,’” said UNC coach Roy Williams. “We turned it over more than I wanted to and didn’t make all the shots, to say the least, but in this league, you’d better be happy about any ‘W.’”

Contact the Sports Editor at sports@unc.edu.