The Miami Hurricanes are arguably the best basketball team in the country.
Let that sink in for a minute.
The latest polls have been released, with UM ranked third in one and fourth in the other, and several first place votes have been cast for ‘The U’ as the record stands at 19-3, undefeated in Atlantic Coast Conference play at 10-0 and the win-streak rolls on at eleven straight.
The latest victim; North Carolina, for the second time this season.
The Canes waxed the Tar Heels, 87-61 on Saturday afternoon at the sold out BankUnited Center. Miami Heat superstars Dwyane Wade and LeBron James were in the crowd, with current teammates and former UM forward James Jones, adding another dimension to an already-electic environment.
Miami jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead behind a Kenny Kadji three-pointer and a few lay-ups from Shane Larkin, Durand Scott and Kadji. Within minutes, the Canes had pushed to a 22-9 lead and by the half, UM led, 44-27.
Larkin led Miami with eighteen points and nine assists, while Kadji pulled down six rebounds and Julian Gamble game up big with four blocks.
Up 68-46 with just under eight remaining, UM showed some swag when Larkin gave up and easy lay-up, instead bouncing the ball off the glass, setting Kadji up with the exclamation-point dunk.
Miami went on to outscore North Carolina, 43-34 in the second half. The Canes were .544 in field goal percentage and .577 in three pointers, going 15-of-26. UM was also 10-for-12 from the free throw line, sending the Tar Heels to their seventh loss of the season.
Next up for Miami, two road trips in four days, starting with a Wednesday night game at Florida State and a Sunday showdown at Clemson. Both games are televised on the ESPN networks.
Of course the game everyone has circled is a March 2nd showdown at Duke, when Miami takes on the second-ranked Blue Devils, which will certainly be a revenge-fueled game for DU, having lost to UM, 90-63 on January 23rd.