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Off the cuff: One reporter asked Andrew Platek if he thought Coach Roy Williams would call a timeout when the Tar Heels got the ball back with 16 seconds left and the score tied.

He doesn't know Coach Williams very well, does he? Coach Williams had already explained that when the Heels get the ball with six or fewer seconds left, they call a timeout. More than six seconds left? "We go," Coach Williams said.

Carolina practices similar late-game situations everyday. Platek may not be the first choice but when he got the ball, he knew time was running out and he didn't have a clear pass to anyone so he took off down the baseline.

"We pushed it and I got a shot," Platek said. He added that he knew it wasn't the best shot but it more than worked out with the ball out of reach of two converging defenders.

Carolina is still committing too many turnovers (20). Their hot-shot freshmen guards Caleb Love and R.J. Davis aren't playing well (a combined two of 14 from the field, although Love hit a big three to put the Heels within a point at 61-60 with less than three minutes left.)

Coach Williams said four early-season games that the team lost to COVID-19 hurt the development of his young guards. He said he believes in them but they have to play better. "I've been the most patient I've ever been in my life," Coach Williams said of the two guards.

The overall shooting is still anemic but the outside shooting was better this game as the Heels hit nine of 20.

Leaky Black was four of four from beyond the arc. "Leaky shot the ball really well," Coach Williams said. "He can be better defensively and make better decisions."

Platek said it's frustrating that the team is still figuring it all out and didn't play well. "But we kept fighting and played with heart and grit," he added.

After starting off 0-2 in the ACC, the Tar Heels have shown some toughness and pride to come back to win two games late.

Tar Heels 67, Miami 65
Platek bucket lifts Carolina over Miami

It was senior Andrew Platek's turn to play late-game hero for North Carolina as he drove the right baseline and scored over two defenders with three seconds left to give the Tar Heels a come-from-behind 67-65 victory at Miami. (1/5)

The Hurricanes, who missed nine of their last 10 shots, tied the score at 65 on a teardrop turnaround jumper by Isaiah Wong with 16 seconds left following the Tar Heels 20th turnover of the game.

The Tar Heels, not calling a timeout, pushed the ball upcourt. Leaky Black, who had hit all four three-point attempts and had a career-high 16 points, may have been the obvious choice to take a last-second shot but Miami defenders cut his drive and Black got it to Platek.

With time running down, Platek said he didn't think he had a better option than to drive the baseline. "I couldn't pass to (Black) easily and my man was overplaying me but he came at the last second which I didn't anticipate," Platek said. "I didn't think I had a better option as I was committed to it."

With a second defender coming to help, the driving Platek pushed the ball up and cleanly in for the Carolina victory.

The Tar Heels led 32-30 at the half but trailed most of the second half, getting down by as many as nine points. Still behind 61-55 with just over five minutes to play, the Tar Heels went on an 8-0 run. That included a go-ahead three by Black from the right corner which put the Heels up 63-61 with 1:38 to go.

After Miami tied it on a pair of Wong free throws, Garrison Brooks, suffering from a bad outing, sank both ends of a one-and-one situation to put Carolina up 65-63 with 46 seconds left and setting up the hectic ending.

The Tar Heels had a couple of scoring droughts during the game and managed to hit only 29 percent of their two-point attempts. But the Hurricanes suffered through a seven-minute field goal drought until that bucket with 16 seconds left that set up Platek's heroics.

Miami was strong in the paint throughout the game but UNC freshman Day'Ron Sharpe more than held his own scoring 12 points and hauling in 16 rebounds. Another freshman, Kerwin Walton, scored double figures with 13 points including a triple late in the first half to put the Heels up at the break.

It was Carolina's best three-point shooting game of the season and that saved the Heels as they were nine of 20 for 45 percent. Adding in all shots, however, Carolina shot just 34.5 percent for the game.

Miami, led by Earl Timberlake's 12 points, falls to 4-5 overall and 0-4 in the conference.

The Tar Heels, now 7-4 overall and 2-2 in the conference, host Clemson Saturday. The Tigers won their first game ever in Chapel Hill last season.

Box Score

UNC's Leaky Black drives downcourt against Miami. (UNC sports information photo by Maggie Hobson)

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