Hurricane hoops storm past No. 11 UNC, win 75-66

Malik Reneau scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead Miami to a 75-66 season-defining upset victory over No. 11 North Carolina on Tuesday. Student fans from both sides of the court swarmed the center logo to join their heroes in celebration.

Despite being the clear underdog, Miami never trailed in the game. It was the Hurricanes’ first win over a ranked opponent this season. In one year and a brand new team, Miami has gone from 3-17 and at the bottom of the ACC in 2025 to among the top five with an 8-3 record in conference play.

Four players scored double digits for the Hurricanes, who improved to 19-5 on the season. Ernest Udeh Jr. scored 15 points with 10 rebounds for a double-double. Tre Donaldson added 14 points and Shelton Henderson chipped in 12 points.

North Carolina was led by Jarin Stevenson’s 13 points, followed by Caleb Wilson’s 12 points and Henri Veesaar’s 11.

It took Reneau eight minutes to rack up 10 points and help the Hurricanes establish an early 24-15 lead over the Tar Heels.

The Tar Heels relied on their three-point shooting to keep up with the Canes in the first half. UNC made double the amount of threes than Miami (6-3) to keep it a two-point game, 37-35, with 3:35 remaining until halftime.

Timotej Malovec made a pair of free throws to end the first half with Miami leading 43-40.

Powell drained a three-pointer to tie the game 51-51. Henderson responded with two free throws for his 10th point in the contest to take back the lead for Miami.

The Canes fed Udeh Jr. the ball for a pair of dunks to maintain Miami’s lead over UNC. Henderson quickly joined in the fun with a dunk of his own to extend the Hurricanes’ lead to 61-55 with 7:24 left in the game.

After Donaldson scored on a driving layup, the Hurricanes spent the final minute of the game draining free throws to keep UNC at bay. With each trip to the charity stripe, the inevitability of their achievement slowly became reality.

This victory virtually cements Miami’s status as an at-large NCAA Tournament team. It would be the Hurricanes’ first trip back to March Madness since their Final Four run in 2023.

The Hurricanes travel to take on North Carolina State on Valentine’s Day and will return on Feb. 17 to host Virginia Tech.