CORAL GABLES, Fla. — As if memories of 3-pointers from Florida State’s Deividas Dulkys and Duke’s Austin Rivers haven’t plagued North Carolina enough, it appeared early in Wednesday’s matchup between Miami and No. 8 UNC that the Tar Heels were going to let long-range shots cripple them yet again.
In a less than seven-minute span in the first half at BankUnited Center, Miami sunk five 3-pointers and continued to lead UNC all the way up to halftime. The Tar Heels, who finished the first half 0-for-6 from deep, couldn’t seem to get much of anything going offensively.
“I told the guys in the locker room, ‘When we start making some shots, we’re going to be a really good basketball team,’” coach Roy Williams said. “I really do believe we’re good shooters, we just don’t show it during the game.”
Though it shot better in the second half, UNC shot 38.2 percent from the field in the game and eked out a 73-64 win with the help of a second-half surge from sophomore forward Harrison Barnes.
The victory marks the third time in UNC’s last four wins it’s shot less than 40 percent from the field.
Williams said after the game that he doesn’t expect every win to be pretty. But he also admitted his team has fallen victim to a shooting slump that he doesn’t quite know how to fix.
“If I knew what it was, I would have already tried to solve it,” Williams said. “It’s a pretty easy game. If you’re a great shooter, you ought to be able to shoot the ball in the game, in practice, out in the backyard when the wind is blowing.”
With 13:52 left in the first half, a 3-pointer from Miami’s Kenny Kadji gave the Hurricanes their first lead of the game, and another Kadji jumper one minute later would establish a lead that Miami would hold on to well into the second half.
Every time UNC began to cut down on Miami’s advantage, it seemed the Hurricanes would respond with a deep shot to make up for the difference, and then some.
