Miami Beats Georgia, 79-68

The Miami Hurricanes beat the Georgia Bulldogs today in the opening round of the 2023 Bahamas Championship. Matthew Cleveland led the Canes with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Nijel Pack chipped in 16 points. Wooga Poplar notched his first career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Blue Cain led the Bulldogs with 18 points. Miami improves to 4-0. Georgia falls to 2-2.

Below are some random thoughts from today’s game.

Miami movement

The Canes did a great job today getting up and down the court. They took advantage of Georgia misses and pushed the ball whenever they had the chance. Any one of Miami’s starting five can lead the break. It’s definitely an advantage. They need to keep this up the remainder of the season. Easy buckets make the game easier.

Bensley the baller

I know I wrote about Joseph last game, but he deserves mention again. This dude has taken a big leap forward. I figured he would make an easy transition to the starting lineup, but I didn’t think he’d be this good so far. Joseph has been a complete player for the Canes this season. His stat line today shows it perfectly: 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Besides his awesome defense, he is making great passes, crashing the boards, and making shots. He is exactly the type of guard you want on your team if you’re in the ACC.

Making free throws

Miami shot 18-19 from the charity stripe today. On the season, they are 66-80, good for 82.5%. Good stuff, as free-throw shooting is an important aspect of the game and can be the difference in close game come March. The Canes looks comfortable from the line. It’s great to see guys step to the line confidently and knock down their shots.

GO CANES!