College Basketball

Bruce Brown Leads the way in Miami Hurricanes Upset of North Carolina

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:43 p.m. ET

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Fansided, Alan Rubenstein/FanSided via Canes Warning

Freshman Bruce Brown scored 30 points and the Miami Hurricanes overcame an 11-2 deficit to upset number North Carolina 77-62 at the Watsco Center Saturday Afternoon.

Brown scored 19 of his 30 points after halftime. The 30 points were a career high for Brown and a set a Miami freshman record. He did so very efficiently. Brown made 8-11 from the floor, 4-6 on three-point attempts and 10-13 from the foul line.

The Hurricanes who have struggled from the free throw line in ACC play, were outstanding against North Carolina. Miami made 24-30 from the foul line to just 13-19 for the Tar Heels.

The story of the game was the Hurricanes aggressiveness. Miami outrebounded the nation’s best rebounding team 41-36, had eight steals to the Tar Heels two, and blocked six shots to UNC’s three. Roy Williams was impressed by Miami’s hustle:

Miami roared back after the 11-2 hole. Led by Ja’Quan Newton who finished with 18 and Brown, the Hurricanes went on 37-9 spurt until UNC scored the last points of the first half. Included was an 11-0 run during 3:40 in the middle of the first half. Newton led the Hurricanes with 14 points before the break.

One of the keys to the first half was Miami’s ability to get to the basket. They outscored North Carolina 16-6 in points in the paint and had an 8-0 advantage in fast break points.

After Carolina made four of their first seven shots, Miami held the Tar Heels to just two of their next 22 over the final 14:43 of the first half. The Hurricanes missed their first four shots from the field and did not score from field until nearly four minutes into the game.

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They took control from there. The game completely flipped after UNC’s hot start. The Hurricanes shot 12-21 the remainder of the half. Miami shot 48 percent to UNC’s 20.7 in the first half. The Hurricanes brought the defense they have shown for most of the season. The Heels finished up at 35 percent, including 29.2 on three-point attempts for the game.

The Heels did make 15-31 in the second half, but UM never let the lead dip below double digits. The win was Miami’s fifth in their last seven meetings with North Carolina. After a slow first half Davon Reed got going after halftime and helped Brown and Newton, finishing with 14 points.

Justin Jackson led North Carolina with 21 points, including 4-10 on three-point attempts. Nate Britt contributed ten points off the bench. He was the only other Tar Heel in double figures.

Next Game: Next up for Miami is a visit from rival Florida State. The Seminoles are currently ranked sixth, but should tumble after consecutive losses to unranked teams Georgia Tech and Syracuse this week. The Seminoles and Hurricanes will tipoff at 7pm ET Wednesday night at the Watsco Center.

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