Harrison Barnes’ 3-pointer wins it for UNC

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Harrison Barnes has heard the “overrated” chants. He’s probably more aware than anybody just how much he has struggled this season.

But for the final two minutes in North Carolina’s 74-71 win against Miami Wednesday night, the freshman played like the All-American he was expected to be in the preseason.

After hitting a fade-away jumper with 1:09 left to tie the game at 71, Barnes drained a 3-pointer as the shot clock was expiring to give UNC a three-point lead.

“You can’t look at the last few minutes and compare them to the whole game,” Barnes said. “You know, the last few minutes is that period of time where you either make the shot or you don’t. And that’s what matters most. You can’t rely on what you’ve done earlier, you have to just make it happen at that point and time.”

Barnes wasn’t the only Tar Heel to make a clutch play on UNC’s final possession. North Carolina (14-5, 4-1 ACC) had only seven seconds to work with on the jump shot after Roy Williams took a timeout.

To start the play, freshman guard Kendall Marshall penetrated at the top of the key, then jumped and lobbed a pass into Barnes’ hands on the right side of the 3-point line.

Williams said Marshall’s pass was just as much a game-winning play as Barnes’ shot.

“I could have made that shot,” Williams said.

“I couldn’t have made the play that Kendall made. And I’m not trying to take anything away from Harrison, because that’s a big-time shot as the clock’s winding down, but let’s not forget the heck of a find that Kendall made on that play, too.”

The Tar Heels played toe-to-toe with the Hurricanes (12-8, 1-5) throughout the second half. Neither team led by more than three points after halftime, but that’s not how the game started.

In a three-minute first half span, Miami hit four straight 3-pointers to lead 14-4.

“They made so many 3’s,” Williams said. “Every time I looked up I thought a 3-point shot.”

Miami made six of its first eight 3-pointers, but behind sophomore guard Dexter Strickland by halftime UNC had crept into a 39-39 tie.

Strickland finished the game with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting, all of which he did in the first half.

“In the first half, not to downgrade anybody, but I didn’t think anybody was stepping up, and I was obligated to do that,” Strickland said. “In the second half, I didn’t shoot that much … I just felt like guys were hitting and I was trying to get them the ball.”

Perhaps the biggest difference in the game was UNC’s ability to convert second-chance points.

UNC pulled down 14 offensive rebounds to Miami’s 13, but the Tar Heels turned that into 16 points. Miami only mustered seven second -chance points.

On offense, UNC spread the scoring around. Strickland and Barnes were the only players in double digits with 12 and 13 respectively.

“We just played as a team, and we got the win, so that’s all that matters,” Strickland said.

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