Walker, who stands 6 feet 5 and weighs 204 pounds, is projected to be a first-round pick in the draft, and in many mock drafts, he is expected to be a lottery pick – one of the top 14 selections.
The Hurricanes (22-10) had multiple opportunities to seal the victory, but the team's youth that coach Jim Larrañaga had stressed so heavily all season came back to bite them.
Despite keeping the game close the majority of the second half and trailing by just four points with 3:50 remaining, the Hurricanes failed to score the rest of the way. Meanwhile the Tar Heels, led by Pinson, went on a 13-0 run to close the contest.
No. 11-seed Syracuse will face off against No. 14-seed Wake Forest at 7 p.m. March 6. The winner of that game will play No. 6 North Carolina the following night at 9 p.m. Then the winner of that matchup advances to play Miami in the quarterfinals at 9 p.m. Thursday, March 8.
But the Canes kept their composure and closed the game out with a contested mid-range jumper by Lonnie Walker IV to tie it and then with the Lykes free-throw to win it with just three seconds left.
Fewer than two weeks after defensive line coach Craig Kuligowski left Miami's football program for Alabama, the Hurricanes have already made the big move on the next man up.
The Hurricanes remained poised, however, and rode some solid defense and efficient free-throw shooting from seniors Erykah Davenport and Keyanna Harris to victory.