Typically, one would expect to come home from a trip to Miami with some happy memories. On Tuesday, the Tar Heels had whatever the opposite of a Florida vacation is, as the Hurricanes blew them out.
While North Carolina men’s basketball head coach Hubert Davis said the team “checked the box on preparation,” the team’s foundation was weak in its matchup against Miami.
UNC’s six turnovers – four of which Miami converted – early in the first half set the tone for the rest of the game. Turnovers combined with poor shooting made for a tough 40 minutes.
Tuesday’s game saw North Carolina surrender 30 points off turnovers: the most by an opponent since Texas in November 2018. With the Hurricanes recording 10 steals, that kind of passing will depress your assist total along with your fans.
“We didn’t bring our energy," sophomore RJ Davis said. "We didn’t play Carolina basketball."
The sloppy passing and consequent turnovers seem to be recurring themes from last season and earlier this season. UNC had 18 turnovers in its November game against UNC-Asheville, which was its third consecutive game with more turnovers than assists.
In UNC’s most recent loss against Notre Dame, it had 14 turnovers – doubling the amount of the Fighting Irish, and the same amount as Tuesday’s game. The inability to protect the ball is lethal.
When will fans see change?
“At this moment, I don’t know,” Hubert Davis said. “Very disappointed in our fight, competitiveness, our effort. Just very disappointed.”