Miami Hurricanes
ACC (21-11, 10-8)
After a ten win season against the loaded ACC, the Hurricanes are back in the tournament, aiming for back to back Sweet 16 appearances. Miami has been a slow-paced, defensive minded team since Jim Larranaga arrived in 2012, and this year is no exception. The Hurricanes score about 70 points per contest, but only allow 63.4 points to opponents. For Miami to win games in the tournament, they will have to control pace and slow their opponent down.
Big Wins: 1/28 North Carolina (77-62), 2/20 at Virginia (54-48), 2/25 Duke (55-50)
Bad Losses: 1/4 at Syracuse (55-70), 1/18 at Wake Forest (79-96), 2/27 at Virginia Tech (61-66)
Coach: Jim Larranaga
Why They Can Surprise:
As stated above, if Miami is able to dictate the pace of the game, they will have an advantage over their opponent. Miami was able to slow down notoriously fast-paced North Carolina and Duke this season, holding them to 62 and 50 points, respectively. In a road contest against slow-paced Virginia, Miami won a rock fight in overtime by a score of 54-48. Miami wants to grind games out and win ugly and they have proven to be able to do that against any kind of opponent. Also, about half of the players on this team have good tournament experience, having made the Sweet 16 a year ago.
Why They Can Disappoint:
One reason Miami likes to limit possessions is because the offense can look stale for long periods of time. Look no further than their most recent game against North Carolina in the ACC Tournament where Miami only scored 53 points. They also failed to break 60 points in losses to Iowa State, Florida, Florida State twice, at Duke and in wins against Virginia and Duke. Miami only scored 80 twice in conference play, both times against lowly N.C. State. They only shoot about 45 percent from the field and are prone to turnovers, with almost 20 percent of their possessions ending in a turnover.
Probable Starters:
Ja’Quan Newton, Junior, Guard, 13.4 ppg, 3.4 apg, 3.6 rpg
Bruce Brown, Freshman, Guard, 11.9 ppg, 3.2 apg, 5.8 rpg
Davon Reed, Senior, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 2.5 apg, 4.8 rpg
Anthony Lawrence, Sophomore, Forward, 6.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Kamari Murphy, Senior, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Bruce Brown, Freshman, Guard, 11.9 ppg, 3.2 apg, 5.8 rpg
Davon Reed, Senior, Guard, 15.0 ppg, 2.5 apg, 4.8 rpg
Anthony Lawrence, Sophomore, Forward, 6.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg
Kamari Murphy, Senior, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg
Key Role Players:
D.J. Vasiljevic, Freshman, Guard, 6.1 ppg
Dewan Huell, Freshman, Forward, 5.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Ebuka Izundu, Sophomore, Forward4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Dewan Huell, Freshman, Forward, 5.8 ppg, 3.2 rpg
Ebuka Izundu, Sophomore, Forward4.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 70.2 (249th in nation, 13th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.4 (22, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.7 (108, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 41.0 (45, 4)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.4 (268, 14)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.2 (125, 11)
Free-Throw Percentage: 72.0 (117, 8)
Rebound Margin: 4.9 (41, 3)
Assists Per Game: 12.0 (272, 15)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.8 (138, 12)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Buffalo
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Wichita State
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Villanova
2015 NIT First Round win over North Carolina Central
2015 NIT Second Round win over Alabama
2015 NIT Quarterfinal win over Richmond
2015 NIT Semifinal win over Temple
2015 NIT Final loss to Stanford
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Pacific
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Illinois
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Marquette
2012 NIT First Round win over Valparaiso
2012 NIT Second Round loss to Minnesota
2011 NIT First Round win over Florida Atlantic
2011 NIT Second Round win over Missouri State
2011 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Alabama
2009 NIT First Round win over Providence
2009 NIT Second Round loss to Florida
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over St. Mary's
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Texas
2006 NIT First Round win over Oklahoma State
2006 NIT Second Round win over Creighton
2006 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Michigan
2005 NIT First Round loss to South Carolina
*all team stats through 3/5
