The Canes Tame The Wolfpack, 80-73

The Miami Hurricanes Men’s Basketball squad beat the NC State Wolfpack today at the Watsco Center in Coral Gables, FL, 80-73. Jordan Miller led the Canes with 25 points. Isaiah Wong chipped in with 22 points and 8 assists. Norchad Omier had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jarkel Joiner led the Wolfpack with 26 points. Terquavion Smith helped out with 19 points. Miami improved to 10-1 on the season. NC State fell to 8-3.

Below are some random thoughts from the game.

The lack of size up front will continue to be an issue for the Canes

Yeah, Miami won the rebounding battle today, 38-34. The interior defense is more concerning though, as their lack of size hurts them here more than anywhere. Joiner, Smith, and DJ Burns got good mid-range shots and lay-ups all game long. Also, the Canes had zero blocks today, compared to NC State’s 5. If Miami can’t scramble like they did so well last year, they are going to continue to get torched. Their offense is good, but Coach L does not want to get into shootouts on a consistent basis. His winning teams have always been solid on defense. I really do like this Miami team and hope they can tighten up their defense in order to compete for the ACC regular season crown. I should be more positive. The Canes got a win today!

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

This Miami team is resilient!

Trailing by nine points at halftime. Giving up lay-ups and open three-pointers. Losing the turnover battle in the first half. The Canes didn’t have a ton going for them when they returned to the floor of the Watsco Center today for the second half against NC State. No worries. Miami tightened up their play, committing only two second-half turnovers. Miller and Wong closed out the game with poise and efficiency. The duo combined for 11 of the Canes’ final 13 points. They also pulled down some late-game defensive rebounds and made their free throws. Having seen the football team perform so poorly in the clutch, it’s unusual to have confidence in a Miami team when it comes to the last few minutes of a game. With upperclassmen like Wong and Miller being led by Coach L, I have faith.

World Cup 2022

So, how about those quarterfinal games? Croatia will never die, no matter what. And they are deadly when it comes to penalty shootouts. Argentina played both awesome and awful soccer at times over 120 minutes. Also, their goalkeeper sucked during the game, but came up huge during the penalty shootout. Go figure. Morocco! How cool is that story? Plus they are fun to watch. Love it. The France vs England game was plenty entertaining. France is loaded, but man, they tried to give it away with two incredibly dumb penalties. I still like them the most out of the final four.

Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images

What are your thoughts on the state of Miami Men’s Basketball? Or the World Cup? Let us know in the comments below.

Next up: Miami hosts St. Francis (PA) next Saturday, 12/17 at 12:00 PM EST. Television coverage has not yet been announced.

GO CANES!