For UNC to have a chance at Miami, James Michael McAdoo needs to continue his upward trajectory. ROBERT WILLETT

SOUTH FLORIDA — And welcome to sunny south Florida, folks, where it’s a balmy 70-some degrees. Getting ready to head down to Coral Gables in a bit for North Carolina at Miami.

Before we get going with the preview, here are a couple things of interest you might want to read. First, a story about P.J. Hairston, and his rededication to basketball. His struggles weren’t limited to on the court a season ago. Second, I used my usual ACC notes column today to dole out dole out some midseason awards. Enjoy.

And now, some thoughts on Tar Heels vs. Hurricanes:

Two problems have remained consistent for Wake Forest since the start of ACC play last month: The Demon Deacons have mostly been awful on the road. And they’ve rarely defended well anywhere, either home or away.

Both remained true here on Tuesday night, where North Carolina dominated in all aspects in an 87-62 victory. The Tar Heels (16-6, 6-3) didn’t exactly play well themselves during long stretches. They were sloppy and turnover prone at times.

But it hardly mattered against Wake (10-12, 3-7), which looked lost offensively and like it couldn’t be bothered with playing defense. The result was in doubt only for a little while, before UNC closed the first half on a 15-1 run that turned a relatively competitive game into a blowout.

James Michael McAdoo played one of his best games of the season on Saturday against Virginia Tech. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — And welcome to game day, folks. North Carolina and Wake Forest will get going at the Smith Center in about five and a half hours.

Some things to know …

North Carolina on Saturday did a good job defending Virginia Tech guard Erick Green. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — Teams aren’t always going to play well and win. Sometimes they’ll play well and lose. Sometimes they’ll play poorly and find a way to win. So it was, mostly, for North Carolina on Saturday against Virginia Tech.

Despite a start that UNC coach Roy Williams described as “terrible,” the Heels found a way – mostly thanks to Marcus Paige and a dominant performance in overtime.

A belated version of our customary look back …

CHAPEL HILL — Marcus Paige, the North Carolina freshman point guard, hadn’t scored more than eight points in any of the Tar Heels’ previous five games. He scored that many in overtime on Saturday to help lead the Heels to a 72-60 victory against Virginia Tech.

The 12-point margin was hardly indicative of the struggle UNC (15-6, 5-3) faced much of the game. The Hokies (11-10, 2-6) began the game on a 12-0 run, and the Heels trailed by six, 32-26, at halftime. But UNC continued to whittle away Virginia Tech’s lead, and the teams went into overtime tied at 55.

Paige took over from there. He made a long 3-pointer from the left side to give the Heels a four-point lead early in overtime, and then he made a jumper from the right baseline that put UNC ahead by six. The Hokies’ cut the Heels’ lead to five, but never came any closer the rest of the way.

Dexter Strickland on Tuesday reminded North Carolina coach Roy Williams of the Strickland of old. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina coach Roy Williams said on Friday that Dexter Strickland played his best game in a while during the Tar Heels’ 82-70 victory against Boston College on Tuesday night. But not because Strickland scored 14 points and made a pair of jump shots.

North Carolina guard P.J. Hairston is improving after suffering a concussion on Tuesday night, but it's doubtful he'll play on Saturday. ROBERT WILLETT

CHAPEL HILL — P.J. Hairston on Wednesday showed signs of improvement after suffering a concussion during North Carolina’s 82-70 victory at Boston College on Tuesday night, but in a statement UNC described him as “doubtful” for the Tar Heels’ game on Saturday at Virginia Tech.

P.J. Hairston was in the midst of one of his best halves at North Carolina before suffering a concussion. ROBERT WILLETT

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — North Carolina’s 82-70 victory against Boston College on Tuesday night isn’t likely to go down as one of the Tar Heels’ most memorable. Still, it was a game the Heels had to have. And they got it done amid some adversity, as I wrote about in this story.

Time for the look back …

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — There wasn’t anything special that North Carolina coach Roy Williams told his players after P.J. Hairston, the Tar Heels’ sophomore guard, suffered a concussion that left him woozy and wobbly late in the first half at Boston College.

“Basically the old clichés,” Williams said following UNC’s 82-70 victory against the Eagles. In the locker room at halftime, Williams mentioned the fact that Leslie McDonald, one of the team’s best perimeter shooters, was back home serving the final game of a three-game suspension.

“And now one of our guys (Hairston) is down laying back on the training table,” Williams said he told his team. “So everybody’s got to pull together even harder. That’s and old cliché and it’s coach-talk, but I believe it’s true, too.”

Roy Williams has challenged P.J. Hairston (center) to play with more hustle. Will he at Boston College? ROBERT WILLETT

BROOKLINE, Mass. — And welcome to Brookline, Mass., folks, where there’s snow on the ground and it’s wet and cold and no place to wear clean sneakers. In a little more than five hours (have I mentioned that 9 p.m. games are too late?) I’ll be taking a cab over to the Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill for North Carolina’s game at Boston College.

Looking at the schedule entering ACC play, you might not have placed much emphasis on this game. But it’s a big one, given the way the Tar Heels played on Saturday night during that 91-83 loss at N.C. State. A couple of things I’m interested to see tonight: First, will UNC play with some urgency for once? Second, what kind of a role will P.J. Hairston have? There's a reason he didn't play more against N.C. State.

Without further delay … the preview: