North Carolina heads down to Miami on Saturday in a game that could feature quite a bit of points. Both teams are averaging over 31 points per game this season, but the real difference here is the defenses.
How to watch North Carolina vs. Miami: Game guide, TV/streaming schedule, odds
Defense should tell the story in this matchup.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
North Carolina’s struggles on defense this season are fairly obvious. They surrender 6.35 yards per play (108th in the country) and give up 41.3 points per game (125th). That’s generally a recipe for disaster and a grim looking record, but the Heels are at .500 due to their high flying offense. That offense will be tested by Miami’s defense, which is ninth in the nation in opponent yards per play and gives up only 22 points a game.
The Tar Heels will play this game with the distraction of an ongoing investigation into the school for academic misconduct going on, but hopefully, the team will be able to forget about it and focus on their opponent.
Miami enters this game without their all-important starting left tackle, Ereck Flowers, whose out with a knee injury that will keep him out at least a week
How to watch, listen, and stream
Game time: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3 (Tim Brant/Dave Archer/Rachel Baribeau)
Radio: North Carolina | Miami
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Our blogs on these schools
The numbers
Rankings and records: Miami enters the game at 5-3 (2-2 ACC) and is unranked. North Carolina is 4-4 (2-2 ACC), and is also unranked. The Hurricanes lead the all-time series 8-7.
Vegas: The Hurricanes opened as 11-point favorites, and that line has gone all the way up to -14.5 at most sportsbooks. The over/under is set at 68.5, according to Odds Shark.
Weather forecast: Partly cloudy with a high of 79.
Two things at stake
North Carolina: Bowl eligibility
The Tar Heels are 4-4, and need two more wins in their last four games to get to a bowl. Their final four games are actually fairly challenging, so they’d be well advised to get a win against Miami so they only need one more in their final three games. That is easier said than done, however.
Miami: Keeping pace in the Coastal Division
Miami is only one loss behind Duke for the lead of the ACC Coastal, and the Hurricanes have a head to head win over the Blue Devils. There’s a huge logjam of teams behind Duke, but if Miami takes care of business, they have a shot at winding up on top of the pile.
One big matchup
North Carolina offense vs. Miami defense
North Carolina’s defense is one of the worst units in the country, so it stands to reason that the Hurricanes will be able to put up points. However, the marquee battle here is the potent North Carolina offense vs. Miami’s excellent defense. This is classic strength against strength, and whoever gets the upper hand will probably win the game.
Further reading
For more on North Carolina, head over to Tar Heel Blog. For more on the Hurricanes, check out State of the U.
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