North Carolina Preview

By Kartik Krishnaiyer
Canes Rising Staff

Miami enters a nationally televised clash (let me call it an internationally televised clash. I've split time between India and England over the last few weeks and have discovered that ACC Sunday Night Hoops is carried in India a day or two later, on Rupert Murdoch owned Star Sports) against North Carolina in serious bubble trouble.

The Tar Heels are rolling and the loses to Boston College and Wake Forest are distant memories. Other than a close shave win against Florida State, UNC hasn't been really tested in close to a month. Against this backdrop Miami faces what amounts to a must win. A Hurricane loss, which is likely will mean that UM will have to likely win four of its final five regular season games to make the NCAA Tournament without a deep ACC Tourney run. (including a game at Florida State who is 5-2 versus Miami the last four seasons, and also cracked the Top 25 for the first time in a dozen years this week)

The overtime loss to Duke could have been avoided with some smarter play down the stretch: something Frank Haith was sure to stress this week in practice. That loss is the difference between being safely in the NCAA and being on the wrong side of the bubble for the Canes.

Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson have found their shooting form lately and Tyler Hansbrough continues to clean up and benefit from positive officiating inside. Miami simply does not have the athletes to match up with Carolina.

It's hard to believe Miami is in this situation but blowing late leads against Duke and NC State, and ultimately losing both games in overtime as well as a overtime loss at home to Virginia Tech have placed the Canes back against the wall. Miami's performances on the road in the league have left little to be desired: blown leads and critical breakdowns defensively at the most important times.

Many a Hurricane fan believed this could have been one of the best teams in the programs history. But when you consider Miami went 15-2 on the road in the Big East in a two year period which saw the Canes finish in the top two in the league both years, this particular team is nowhere near the established high standards of Leonard Hamilton's Canes teams.

If you want a good comparison with Miami of the late 1990s, it's Florida State coached by Hamilton whom Miami must defeat in Tallahassee on Wednesday to have any realisitic shot of gaining an at-large NCAA bid. You simply cannot lose every road game in conference and expect to make the tournament, and hopefully Miami realizes the only way to correct that situation is to either steal a massive game at home or start winning on the road.