GameThread: Miami vs North Carolina in ACC Tournament Quarterfinals

HELLO AGAIN!!!!! The fact that I'm able to write another GameThread means one thing: Miami won their ACC Tournament Opener! Here's our recap from the 62-57 win over 8th seed Syracuse:

#Canes won their ACC Tourney opener 62-57 over Syracuse. Here’s our recap of the win. #TheU https://t.co/tZREY9v1vv pic.twitter.com/0pR0Q6L7tJ

— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) March 8, 2017

And here's Charlie Strauzer's editorial about the elder statesmen who led Miami to that victory:

NEW SOTU: @CanesHoops "Elders" Key to Big ACC Tourney Win https://t.co/8hnTmiib7E pic.twitter.com/tS9qRD66fO

— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) March 8, 2017

Now that that's out of the way, Miami turns their focus to #1 seed and ACC Regular Season Champion North Carolina. Here are the particulars of this game:

GAME INFO

Teams: #9 seed Miami Hurricanes (21-10, 10-8 ACC) vs #1 seed North Carolina Tar Heels (26-6, 14-4 ACC)

Day & Time: Thursday, March 9, 12:00 noon ET

Venue: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.

TV: ESPN (announcers: Dan Shulman, Jay Bilas, and Allison Williams)

Streaming: WatchESPN app/ESPN online stream/ACC Network Extra (announcers: Tim Brando, Mike Gminski, and Jason Capel)

Radio: 560 WQAM and WQAM online stream (Announcer: Joe Zagacki)

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Miami and North Carolina played once in the ACC Regular Season, with Miami winning that game 77-62 at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables. Here's our recap of that big, big win:

RECAP @CanesHoops 77, Tar Heels 62: ‘New day, new team’
Read up. #TheU #Canes https://t.co/HNwI24UYlb pic.twitter.com/J5lyyXdPD1

— StateOfTheU.com (@TheStateOfTheU) January 28, 2017

The last time these teams met in the ACC tournament, Miami beat North Carolina 87-77 to win the 2013 ACC Tournament Championship.

Here are some game notes ahead of today's game from UM Athletics:

The Series: Miami vs. North Carolina

• In the six years since Coach L's arrival for the 2011-12 season, Miami (5-4) and Duke (8-4) are the only two teams with a winning record over North Carolina.
• Miami is a combined 10-7 against Carolina (5-4) and Duke (5-3) under Coach L. Notre Dame (8-7) is the only other ACC school to have a combined winning record against the Blue Devils and Tar Heels in those six years. In the six years prior to Coach L's arrival, Miami was 2-17 overall against North Carolina (1-8) and Duke (1-9).
• The Hurricanes have won five of the last seven meetings with North Carolina.
• On Feb. 9, 2013, Miami tied a program record by hitting 15 3-pointers in its 87-81 victory over UNC.
• Miami won the ACC Tournament in 2013, defeating North Carolina, 87-77, in the championship game, for the Canes’ first ACC title. UM also finished the 2013 regular season atop the standings.
• Jim Larrañaga and George Mason bested Roy Williams and UNC, 65-60, in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament on GMU's way to the Final Four.
• Jack McClinton set Miami’s record for most points in ACC game when he scored 35 in 2009 against North Carolina.
• Miami's first game in the Watsco Center was Jan. 4, 2003, a 64-61 overtime victory over the Tar Heels

The Hurricanes in the ACC Tournament

• The Canes are the No. 9 seed for the fourth time in UM history.
• Miami last faced North Carolina in the 2013 ACC Tournament, when the Canes defeated the Tar Heels, 87-77, to win the ACC Championship.
• The Canes are playing in the ACC Tournament for the 13th time.
• Miami is 14-11 in ACC Tournament play.
• Under head coach Jim Larrañaga, Miami is 8-4 in the ACC Tournament in just five seasons. The Hurricanes were 6-7 in the first seven years in the league, including two seasons (2005, 2009) without a victory in the ACC Tournament.
• UM has won at least one game in the tournament in 11 of 13 seasons, including eight straight.
• UM has won seven of its last 10 games in the ACC Tournament after going 3-0 in 2013 and 1-1 in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
• Miami won the ACC Tournament in 2013, defeating North Carolina, 87-77, in the championship game, for the Canes’ first ACC title. UM also finished the 2013 regular season atop the standings.
• Miami’s three wins in 2013 are the most by the Canes in the ACC Tournament.
• Miami’s highest seed was No. 1, in 2013.
• Since Miami joined the ACC in 2004-05, four teams have won both the regular season and tournament, once by Miami (2013) and Virginia (2014), twice by Duke (2006, 2009) and three times by North Carolina (2007, 2008 and 2016).
• Since 2012, four teams from outside the state of North Carolina have won the ACC Championship: Florida State, Miami, Virginia and Notre Dame. Prior to 2012, a team from North Carolina won the previous seven, and 17 of the past 18.

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In his post-game press conference after beating Syracuse, Coach Larranaga said Miami had "7 points of emphasis" on both offense and defense vs North Carolina. With a quick turnaround, we'll see how well Miami is able to implement and execute those points of emphasis against one of the top teams in the country.

Go Canes