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Instant takeaways from UNC basketball's road loss at Miami
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- Instant takeaways from UNC basketball's road loss at Miami
North Carolina 's five-game win streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference is officially over. After an emotional win over rival Duke on Saturday night, it was a quick turnaround for the Tar Heels .
They went to Coral Gables to face off against a good Miami team and in the end, UNC never led in the game and fell to the Hurricanes 75-66. The loss drops UNC to 19-5 overall and 7-4 in ACC play. With a tough schedule still left for the Tar Heels, this was another big Quad 1 opportunity for them.
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But instead of taking advantage, UNC looked sluggish from start to finish. Here are our instant takeaways from the loss at Miami.
Miami dominated North Carolina in the paint
Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) grabs a rebound against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
The story of this game is the paint play between the two teams. Miami simply dominated North Carolina in the paint, outscoring them 46-28. The Hurricanes also outrebounded UNC 41-35 and that led to extra possessions on offense and limited the Tar Heels to their own possessions.
North Carolina didn't get much from the post tonight with Caleb Wilson being limited due to that left wrist. But Henri veesaar struggled against the Hurricanes' bigs who feasted all night.
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That's an issue.
Let's hope Caleb Wilson's hand injury isn't serious
After a sensational game against Duke on Saturday, freshman Caleb Wilson didn't look great against Miami. Part of that was due to a left wrist injury he potentially suffered in the game.
Wilson scored 12 points and played in just 26 minutes, missing some key minutes early in the second half. He went to the bench and then the locker room with trainers before re-appearing and checking back in. But when he did check back in, he did so with some tape on his left wrist.
The good news is that Wilson was able to return. Now, we wait to see what actually happened and if it will bother him more moving forward.
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This wasn't a trap game BUT.....
Feb 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes forward Shelton Henderson (7) protects the basketball against North Carolina Tar Heels guard Jaydon Young (4) during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
It was a tough game. North Carolina went on the road against a good Miami team that is surprising a lot of people in the ACC this year. It wasn't a classic trap game where the Tar Heels were facing a team they were clearly better than after beating Duke.
We have to give Miami the respect it deserves so far this season. Plus, playing on the road is no easy task and the past few years, Coral Gables hasn't been a good place for the Tar Heels to play at.
The key for North Carolina now is to respond in a big way at home against Pitt on Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Takeaways from tough road loss at Miami
