Canes upset Tar Heels, 75-66!

Miami upset #11 North Carolina, 75-66, on Tuesday evening at the Watsco Center before 7,355 in attendance.

Miami fans’ rushed the court after the game as Miami (19-5, 8-3 ACC) moved into fifth place in the ACC. The game also marked head coach Jai Lucas’ major signature win for head coach Jai Lucas since taking over the reins in Coral Gables.

Miami also snapped a three-game losing streak to North Carolina (19-5, 7-4) and recorded their first win over a ranked UNC team since 2018.

Miami was led by senior forward Malik Reneau and senior center Ernest Udeh. Both registered double-doubles with Reneau scoring 16 and 10 rebounds and Udel posting 15 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Tre Donaldson chipped in 14 and Shelton Henderson scored 12 for the Canes.

Miami shot 46.8 percent (29 of 62) while the Tar Heels shot only 39.7 percent (25 of 63).

The first half was a high scoring affair with the Canes taking a 43-40 advantage at the break. The second half turned into a defensive battle, as Miami’s size, physicality and free throws ability made the difference down the stretch.

"To finally get one over a ranked opponent feels good," said Lucas. "But the best thing and the most exciting thing for me is we were who we were. We didn't do anything special. We didn't do anything different. You look at our box score and this is what it usually is, 46 points in the paint, 12 offensive rebounds, double them in free throws. This is Miami basketball. So that's what's exciting about it is just because it was North Carolina and it was a big environment and a great event, we stayed true to our identity and our standards.”

Miami hits the road to Raleigh to take on N.C. State on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. ET. with coverage on ESPN2.

GO CANES!