The Canes Choke At Duke, 68-66

It’s 55 degrees and overcast in North Florida right now. The weather is equalling my mood: gloomy. I hope there are two entertaining NFL Playoff games tonight to lift me up. Go Jags I guess. Whatever. It would be cool if they won. Ugh. This Miami loss today stings. I really thought the Canes were going to get another road win at Duke. Time for beer.

The Miami Hurricanes fell to the Duke Blue Devils today at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC, 68-66. Jordan Miller led Miami with 19 points. Nijel Pack chipped in 18 points, with 14 coming in the first half. Norchad Omier scored 9 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Kyle Filipowski led the way for Duke with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Miami falls to 15-4, 6-3 ACC. Duke improves to 14-5, 5-3 ACC.

Below are some random thoughts from today’s game.

Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

Isaiah Wong was sick or something?

ESPN announcer Bob Wischusen said Wong wasn’t feeling well today halfway through the second half. It came out of nowhere. There was no mention of his health at any time up until that point. Obviously, Miami was worse off. They needed his shot creation, especially after halftime. He did make a couple three-pointers in the second half, but he was not his super athletic self. I hope Wong gets over whatever is ailing him before the FSU game.

Nijel Pack disappeared for the second half

It looked like Pack was going to have a great shooting performance, making 4 three-pointers in the first half. Not so much. His play after halftime perfectly summed up Miami’s day as a whole: he couldn’t make a jump shot, threw up garbage at the rim a couple times, and made a dumb play with the ball in his hands. Pack turned it over when Miami was down 4 points with fifteen seconds to go. They probably would’ve lost anyway, but that turnover sealed it for the evil team from North Carolina. Pack needs to have a bounce-back effort against the Seminoles.

The Canes couldn’t buy a bucket after halftime (besides Jordan Miller)

I was doing my best to not continuously yell at the TV during the second half. The shot selection was awful. Pack, Omier, Beverly, and Joseph each had at least one “fling the ball towards the basket and see what happens” shot attempts. Worst of all, and this could be its own headline: ANTHONY WALKER SHOT A CORNER THREE WITH FOUR MINUTES LEFT IN THE GAME! I swear to you I screamed “Nooooooooo!” as it was happening. I know it’s only one shot, but it was at a crucial moment in the game. Walker simply cannot take that shot. Ever. Miami lost by 2 points. Just saying.

Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

One positive was Omier’s play underneath the basket. The guy was a monster down there. He fought hard to get position, earning lay-ups on a couple possessions and fouls on a couple others. He battled for offensive rebounds, pulling down 4 for the game (they all seemed to come in the second half). Lastly, he was fouled TWICE when Miami was down 2 points with under a minute left. No call. Effing ACC refs. Overall, I loved how Norchad Omier played in his first game against Duke.

Wooga Poplar forgot how to run apparently

This is a short one but worth mentioning. Poplar fell SEVERAL times for seemingly no reason. They all appeared to happen when Miami had the ball. It was odd to watch. Maybe he should change shoes or something?

Time to hit the bar and get ready for football. I like the Chiefs and Eagles tonight. Really going out on a limb, I know. Enjoy the games!

GO CANES!