Miami Hurricanes
ACC (21-12, 10-8)
Miami did enough in non-conference play to keep themselves in the NCAA Tournament discussion. And they stuck around the .500 mark in ACC play for much of the year and that did not change anything. There are certainly some bad losses along the way, like losing by 28 at home against Eastern Kentucky and 20 to Georgia Tech, but this is also a team that won at Duke 90-74 and took Virginia to double overtime.
Big Wins: 1/13 at Duke (90-74), 1/22 North Carolina State (65-60), 1/24 at Syracuse (66-62)
Bad Losses: 12/19 Eastern Kentucky (44-72), 1/28 Georgia Tech (50-70), 2/11 at Wake Forest (70-72)
Coach: Jim Larranaga
Why They Can Surprise:
The Hurricanes have a dangerous backcourt duo with point guard Angel Rodriguez and shooting guard Sheldon McClellan. Rodriguez, who is playing his first season with the Hurricanes after spending a couple of years at Kansas State, is an aggressive point guard who gets to the free-throw line more than anybody else on the team. His outside shot has been a bit inconsistent, but at least Rodriguez can shoot and force the defense to come out and guard him; that is when he attacks the basket and gets to the line. Despite his 12.2 points and 4.0 assists per game, Rodriguez is still best known for his defensive prowess. McClellan, a transfer from Texas, is the team’s top scorer. He can score in every way imaginable and shoots 49.7 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from beyond the arc. With a little help from Davon Reed, Deandre Burnett and Manu Lecomte, this is a pretty good backcourt.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The frontcourt, on the other hand, is a one man show. Tonye Jekiri averages 8.6 points, 10.62 rebounds and 1.5 blocks. McClellan is the team’s next highest rebounder at 4.6 per game. Even though the Hurricanes have one of the best rebounders in the ACC, this is a bad rebounding team. This is not a team that can afford to lose possessions on the glass and they often do. In that bad loss to Eastern Kentucky, Miami was outrebounded 37 to 26. Against Green Bay they were outrebounded 46 to 37. The common thread throughout most of Miami’s losses is losing the battle on the glass.
Probable Starters:
Angel Rodriguez, Junior, Guard, 12.2 ppg, 4.0 apg
Sheldon McClellan, Junior, Guard, 14.7 ppg, 2.0 apg, 4.6 rpg
Davon Reed, Sophomore, Guard, 7.7 ppg, 1.5 apg
Omar Sherman, Freshman, Forward, 4.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Tonye Jekiri, Junior, Center, 8.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg
Key Roleplayers:
Deandre Burnett, Freshman, Guard, 6.8 ppg, 2.0 rpg
Ivan Cruz Uceda, Junior, Forward, 5.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg
Manu Lecomte, Sophomore, Guard, 7.9 ppg, 1.3 rpg
James Palmer, Freshman, Guard, 3.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 68.9 (137th in nation, 6th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 63.4 (94, 4)
Field-Goal Percentage: 43.6 (166, 10)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.5 (150, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.1 (31, 2)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 36.4 (84, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 73.6 (34, 1)
Rebound Margin: -0.2 (208, 13)
Assists Per Game: 13.5 (100, 7)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.2 (14, 4)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2013 NCAA Second Round win over Pacific
2013 NCAA Third Round 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 Second Round win over Missouri State
2011 NIT Quarterfinal loss to Alabama
2011 NIT First Round win over Florida Atlantic
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 3/8
See All Men’s Basketball Postseason Capsules
