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Another ACC game, another depth battle, and most importantly, another loss.
Despite getting off to a fast start and leading by 14 midway through the second half, Miami’s legs gave out later and they fell 90-73.
The first sign of trouble came in the first half, up 30-15 with 9:28 until the intermission. Louisville answered with their own 14-2 run and cut UM’s lead to just 1 point at halftime.
The Cardinals took their first lead of the second half with 14:11 to play and never looked back. A long, continuous extended run from Louisville put the game out of reach soon after, making their lead 10 points wide just minutes later.
Foul trouble reared it’s head again for the Hurricanes. With Miami down to just seven deep, one player’s foul trouble has a ripple effect through the entire game plan.
Anthony Lawrence, Anthony Mack, and Ebuka Izundu each had two fouls by halftime. While an acceptable situation for a team with normal depth, this team could I’ll-afford any additional whistle trouble. With just one minute to play in the first half, walk-on Willie Herendon checked into the game to avoid any additional trouble. The following players plus DJ Vasiljavic all finished with three personal fouls on the night.
Vasiljavic, Zach Johnson and Chris Lykes all finished in double-figures for the Canes, with the Vasiljavic and Johnson co-leading with 19 points. Chris Lykes was close behind with 18.
Vasiljavic came off the bench in this game, ironically, for Johnson who received his first start as a Hurricane.
Izundu, facing foul trouble, came closest to a double-double with eight points and ten rebounds. As the only true big man left on the roster, Jim Larranaga forces the post player to complete push-ups for each foul committed in practice.
Five players broke the 10-point mark for the Cardinals, representing an entire starting lineup. Jordan Nwora lead with 20 points, while Malik Williams had a double-double off the bench, scoring 19 with 11 rebounds.
Miami will regroup and head to Tallahassee for their matchup Wednesday night against the Florida State Seminoles. Despite a loss to Virginia on Saturday, FSU has established themselves as one of the top teams in the nation.