This week in Miami Hurricanes Basketball: 12/12 Edition

Good Monday morning Canes fans. It’s starting to feel a lot like Christmas. I love this time of year! It’s even great here in Florida, where it’s still not cold. Heck yeah. Anyway, we’re back for another week of Miami Hurricanes Men’s and Women’s Basketball. The guys went 2-0. The ladies lost their only game of the week.

Last week:

I recapped Miami’s two-point escape vs Cornell last Wednesday. The Canes couldn’t get stops all game long. They played sloppy offense. They didn’t rebound hard enough. For a shootout, it was ugly. All that said, our boys got the win. One thing I really liked seeing was Norchad Omier not being afraid to foul and going for the block on the last play of the game.

I also broke down the guys’ 80-73 come-from-behind win vs NC State on Saturday. Miami’s defensive struggles continued, mostly in the first half. Luckily, the offense was clicking again. Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller were great all game; they made so many timely shots. Coach L will take a 2-0 start in conference play any day of the week. Final note: Miami’s crowd was great again against the Wolfpack; the Watsco Center was rocking at times. I expect this trend to continue throughout their ACC home schedule.

Will the guys be ranked in the AP Top 25 later today? At this point in the season, they should be. I understood them coming up short in past weeks. Some other teams had better resumes, simple as that. But, now the Canes are 10-1 with wins over Providence, UCF, Rutgers, and NC State. Further, their only loss is neutral-site game to Maryland. That’s not a bad loss. Combine that with some ranked teams falling, and Miami deserves to be in the Top 25 this week.

The Lady Canes lost at home to their in-state rival Florida Gators, 76-73, in overtime on Sunday. Haley Cavinder led Miami with 25 points an 6 assists. Destiny Harden had 18 points and 7 rebounds. Lazaria Spearman came off the bench with a double-double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. Nina Rickards let UF with 23 points and 7 rebounds.

Miami had a six-point lead going into the fourth quarter, but couldn’t put away the pesky Gators. The women of Miami have struggled lately, losing three of their last four games. They have had some impressive individual performances, but haven’t been able to put it together as a team against better competition. Yesterday was the ladies’ last non-conference game of the season. This is not the way Coach Meier wants her team playing as they begin their ACC schedule next week.

This week:

Miami’s Men’s squad only plays one game next week, hosting the St. Francis (PA) University Red Flash on Saturday, 12/17 at 12:00 PM EST. Television coverage has not yet been announced. The Canes look to go 2-0 against St. Francis schools this season as they beat the St. Francis (NY) Brooklyn Terriers last month.

The Lady Canes don’t play this week. They travel to Tallahassee to take on Florida State next Wednesday, 12/21 at 12:00 PM EST. It’s the Women’s squad’s first ACC contest of the season. Television coverage has not yet been announced. The Seminoles are off to a hot start this year. They are 9-1, including a win over common opponent UF.

GO CANES!