GREENSBORO--Sunday's ACC Tournament final was more suited for the OK Corral than it was the Greensboro Coliseum, as Miami and North Carolina shot a combined 51 three-pointers (25 made) as the Miami Hurricanes defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 87-77.
Shane Larkin (28 points, 7 assists) was named MVP of the tournament after scoring 20 points in the quarterfinals and 23 in Saturday's semifinal win over N.C. State. Trey McKinney-Jones added 20 points, shooting 6-9 from three-point range while Julian Gamble recorded a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) as the Hurricanes won their first tournament championship since joining the ACC.
Miami's championship hopes took a big hit during the first minute of play, as ACC Defensive Player of the Year Durand Scott took an elbow in the back while going up for a rebound. Scott checked back in with 13:17 remaining and the Tar Heels leading 14-12. Though Scott was in obvious pain, he gamely played 33 minutes in the contest, finishing with 6 points and 3 rebounds.
North Carolina (24-10) was led by the hot shooting of P.J. Hairston, who scored 28 points and showed no ill effects from a hand injury sustained in the quarterfinal round that required 8 stitches. Guard Marcus Paige added 17 points for the Tar Heels, going 3-6 from the three-point line. Reggie Bullock added 11 points for North Carolina while James Michael McAdoo added 12 points and rebounds in defeat.
Both Hairston and Bullock joined Miami's Larkin and Scott on the All-ACC Tournament first team, while Paige joined the Hurricanes' McKinney-Jones and Julian Gamble on the second team.
The Hurricanes (27-6) now await word from the NCAA Tournament selection committee as to their seed for the upcoming national tournament. After winning the regular season championship and the tournament title, the Hurricanes figure to be in the mix for a coveted No. 1 seed. The Tar Heels aren't in contention for a 1 seed, but their performance this weekend should have taken them off the 8/9 line that teams typically want to avoid.
