North Carolina’s five-game winning streak in the Atlantic Coast Conference is officially over. After a moving victory over his rival Duke Saturday night, the turnaround was quick for the Tar Heels.
They traveled to Coral Gables to face a good Miami team and in the end, UNC never led the game and fell to the Hurricanes 75-66. The loss drops UNC to 19-5 overall and 7-4 in ACC play. With the Tar Heels still having a busy schedule, this was another great Quad 1 opportunity for them.
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But instead of taking advantage, UNC looked sluggish from start to finish. Here are our takeaways from the loss in Miami.
Miami dominated North Carolina in the paint
February 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, United States; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) rebounds 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 game between the two teams. Miami simply dominated North Carolina in the paint, outscoring them 46-28. The Hurricanes also outscored UNC 41-35, which 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 because of that left wrist. But Henri Veesaar had difficulty against the greats of the Hurricanes who entertained all night long.
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It’s a problem.
Hopefully Caleb Wilson’s hand injury isn’t serious
February 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, United States; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson (8) looks on against the Miami Hurricanes during the first half at Watsco Center. Mandatory credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
After a sensational game against Duke on Saturday, freshman Caleb Wilson didn’t look great against Miami. This was due in part to a left wrist injury he potentially suffered during the match.
Wilson scored 12 points and played in just 26 minutes, missing a few key minutes early in the second half. He went to the bench and then to the locker room with coaches before reappearing and returning. But when he re-recorded himself, he did so with duct tape on his left wrist.
The good news is that Wilson was able to return. Now we wait to see what really happened and if it will bother him more in the future.
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It wasn’t a trap game BUT….
February 10, 2026; Coral Gables, Florida, United States; Miami Hurricanes forward Shelton Henderson (7) defends 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 difficult match. North Carolina hit the road against a good Miami team that is surprising a lot of people in the ACC this year. This wasn’t a classic trap game where the Tar Heels were playing a team where they were clearly better than after beating Duke.
We have to give Miami the respect they deserve so far this season. Additionally, playing on the road is not an easy task and in recent years, Coral Gables has not been a good place to play for the Tar Heels.
The key for North Carolina now is to respond in a big way at home against Pitt on Saturday.
This article was originally published on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Takeaways from tough road loss at Miami
