Miami Hurricanes 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Post Season

Miami Hurricanes

Atlantic Coast Conference (20-13, 4-12)

Seed: #

Big Wins: 12/2 Minnesota (63-58), 2/10 Georgia Tech (64-62), 3/12 Virginia Tech (70-65)

Bad Losses: 1/16 at Virginia (57-75), 1/19 Boston College (75-79), 2/27 NC State (66-71)

Coach: Frank Haith

Why They Can Surprise:

Miami started strong, but it did not take long before the tough Atlantic Coast Conference schedule got the best of the young Hurricanes. However, Coach Frank Haith has quite a few weapons to work with and the depth in the frontcourt has been a huge benefit. Dwayne Collins is obviously the star of the frontcourt after averaging 12.0 points and 7.8 rebounds during his senior season. Collins has turned into a superb interior scorer and that has opened up space for the shooters, however a leg injury sidelined him during the Canes surprise run in the ACC Tournament and it remains to be seen how effective he will be upon his return.

One of those shooters is 6-7 senior Adrian Thomas. Nearly all of his shots come from beyond the arc and he will use his size to shoot over just about any opposing defender. DeQuan Jones and Cyrus McGowan are a couple more forwards who can stretch out the defense with their outside shooting. Freshman Reggie Johnson and sophomore Julian Gamble are more traditional back to the basket big men. Neither are great scorers, but Johnson is a tough rebounder who will use his 6-10, 295 pound frame to create space for himself in the paint.

Why They Can Disappoint:

This is a bad free-throw shooting team, but that is mostly due to Collins. However point guard Durand Scott does not help the team’s overall numbers. Yet, the bigger issue is turnovers and Scott can miss all the free throws he wants as long as he keeps the turnovers down. Scott has done a decent job for a freshman and leads the team in assists, but he could set up his teammates in better positions. Scott is a decent scorer though, but he is one of the poor shooters on this team. Malcolm Grant usually comes in off the bench, but he can handle the ball too. Grant is also a very consistent shooter and on many occasions he has come into the game and sparked the offense. Garrius Adams has worked his way into the starting lineup, but he does not help the team much in the ball handling department.

Who To Watch:

With a bunch of underclassmen manning the perimeter, it is up to senior James Dews to keep the team under control. However, Dews is a scorer and he needs to be working off the ball as much as possible. Like Grant and Thomas, Dews connects on over 36 percent of his long range attempts, but Dews also has a nice mid-range game and can create shots for himself when necessary. And, perhaps just as importantly, he is the best free-throw shooter on the team.

Probable Starters:

Durand Scott, Freshman, Guard, 10.3 ppg, 3.4 apg

James Dews, Senior, Guard, 11.5 ppg, 1.6 apg

DeQuan Jones, Sophomore, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg

Dwayne Collins, Senior, Forward, 12.0 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg

Julian Gamble, Sophomore, Center, 3.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg

Key Roleplayers:

Garrius Adams, Freshman, Guard, 3.8 ppg, 2.1 rpg

Malcolm Grant, Sophomore, Guard, 9.6 ppg, 3.5 apg

Reggie Johnson, Freshman, Center, 6.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg

Cyrus McGowan, Senior, Forward, 3.2 ppg, 2.6 rpg

Adrian Thomas, Senior, Forward, 7.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg

By the Numbers:

Scoring Offense: 72.1 (101^st in nation, 8^th in conference)

Scoring Defense: 64.4 (75, 5)

Field-Goal Percentage: 46.2 (50, 2)

Field-Goal Defense: 40.7 (58, 7)

Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 7.5 (55, 2)

Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.2 (86, 4)

Free-Throw Percentage: 66.8 (236, 7)

Rebound Margin: 3.2 (79, 7)

Assists Per Game: 14.2 (87, 7)

Turnovers Per Game: 14.3 (212, 7)

Joel’s Bracket Says: