Miami Upsets No. 11 North Carolina, 75-66
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – A strong second-half defensive performance propelled the University of Miami men’s basketball past No. 11 North Carolina, 75-66, Tuesday inside the Watsco Center.
Miami (19-5, 8-3 ACC) held the Tar Heels to just 26.5% shooting in the final 20 minutes and 1-of-14 from the beyond the arc to secure the program’s first win over a ranked team since Jan. 3, 2024.
The Hurricanes stormed out to a 10-point lead, 22-12, as Malik Reneau scored 10 of Miami’s first 22 points. North Carolina (19-5, 7-4 ACC) responded with an 11-2 run to trim the lead down to one before the Hurricanes answered and took a three-point lead into the half 43-40.
The two teams battled in the second half as the Canes pushed their lead to five, 51-46, with just under 15 minutes remaining. The Tar Heels cut the lead to one before the Hurricanes held their biggest lead of the half, 61-55, following a thunderous Shelton Henderson dunk.
With Miami leading 63-60, Ernest Udeh Jr. pushed the lead back to six as he made a free throw and collected his miss for a layup. Down the stretch, the Hurricanes scored their six points from the free-throw line to secure the win.
Reneau finished with his seventh double-double of the season with a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds as Udeh registerd 15 points and 10 boards. Tre Donaldson added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists as Henderson finished with 12 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Miami dominated the paint, 46-28, and outrebounded the Tar Heels, 41-35.
The Hurricanes return to action Saturday as they travel to NC State at 4 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2 and can be heard locally on WQAM.
Tickets are available for the 2025-26 men’s basketball season and can be purchased online at www.miamihurricanes.com/tickets.
POSTGAME QUOTES
Head Coach Jai Lucas
Opening statement…
“First, I just want to thank the fans who showed up for us, especially the students. I thought the student section was electric. This is what I envisioned this building being, and what we have to make it moving forward. I was glad that everyone came out and saw the team. You know, we compete. They play hard. They’re fun to come and watch.”
On the game itself…
“I told them before the game that the game was going to be won on the glass and taking care of the ball. And we really took care of the ball today, and that was kind of the separator. Everything that has gone bad for us has been self-inflicted. We were who we were. We didn’t do anything special. We didn’t do anything different. 46 points in the paint, 12 offensive rebounds, and doubled them in free throws. This is Miami basketball.”
On players’ growth and resilience…
“I think they’re resilient, and I feel like they’ve shown that all season. He (Ernest) closed the game for us. His growth since he’s been here has been amazing. The benefit of having two freshmen who can play in the game, especially early, is that by the time you get to February, you hope that they have developed to where they can play these heavy minutes. And they have.”
Ernest Udeh Jr., Center, Senior
On the atmosphere and what the win says about the team…
“When you’re blessed to play this game at a high level, fan reactions and just the fan presence is everything. We knew it was going to be a big game and what to expect. They’re a high-level opponent, coached great. Hearing the fans scream — whether it’s the first bucket, the last bucket, a stop, a turnover, a free throw — all of it plays into our success on the court. We’re always grateful for that.”
On his defensive mindset…
“My message to the team was defensively understanding our opponent. I told the guys all the time — if they don’t score, we win the game. Our offense has never been an issue. The biggest thing for us is getting stops and making offense easy for us. One thing I told the team before the game was let our defense be our offense. Limit them to one possession and get out and run. I feel like against anybody, we’re the best transition team in the country.”
Malik Reneau, Forward, Senior
On maintaining the lead and defensive execution…
“Down the stretch, we executed really well. We held some of their top guys to bad percentages. Our defense speaks for itself. We were able to capitalize on a lot of the mistakes they made and continue to keep the lead throughout the game.”
On being one of the best frontcourts in the country…
“I wouldn’t say it’s personal, but me and Ernest know we’re one of the best frontcourts in the country, and we’re going to prove it every single night. We respect our opponents, but we’re going to do everything we talked about leading up to the game and just play to the best of our abilities.”
