BROOKLYN (AP) — Isaiah Hicks had 19 points and No. 6 North Carolina certainly looked like a national championship contender in its postseason debut, beating Miami 78-53 on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament.
The top-seeded Tar Heels (27-6) got 12 points from ACC player of the year Justin Jackson and held the smaller Hurricanes to 36 percent shooting, setting up a fantastic semifinal Friday night against archrival Duke, which is ranked 14th, or No. 8 Louisville.
Either way, a juicy matchup.
With the stands at Brooklyn's Barclays Center sprinkled in Carolina blue, the defending champion Tar Heels didn't disappoint their fans who made the trip north.