This Week in Miami Hurricanes Basketball: 1/9 Edition

Jan 9, 2023 - 8:00 PM

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Happy Monday everyone. The temperatures dipped a bit, but it’s back in the 60s and sunny in North Florida. The Jacksonville Jaguars are in the NFL Playoffs. Pretty cool. It was nice to see TIAA Bank Field filled with home fans for once. Plus, former Canes safety Rayshawn Jenkins caused the fumble that led to the game-winning touchdown.

We’re back for another week of Miami Hurricanes Men’s and Women’s Basketball. The guys lost their only game of the week, Wednesday at Georgia Tech. I posted my Men’s 2022-23 ACC Preview last Tuesday. Link below. The Lady Canes beat #22 North Carolina at home on Thursday, then topped #9 Virginia Tech at home on Sunday.

Last week:

I didn’t recap the guys’ 76-70 loss to the Yellow Jackets because I was unable to watch the game. Stupid Bally Sports Network. I hate Bally Sports! I have an Apple TV with every streaming service imaginable available to me. Yet somehow, I can’t get Bally Sports. (Deep sigh). Well, I think I may have found a way to stream it (legally of course), so I shouldn’t miss any more games. I will know for sure the next time a Miami basketball game is forced upon us by this annoying regional sports network.

The loss to GT dropped Miami from #12 to #16 in today’s AP Top 25 Poll.

As for the game, ugh. Jordan Miller led Miami with 17 points on 7-12 shooting. Norchad Omier also scored 17 points on 6-12 shooting, with 8 rebounds. Lance Terry balled for Georgia Tech, scoring 24 points on 8-13 shooting, including 4-5 from three-point range. The rest of the Canes squad could not make a shot to save their lives. After his best game of the season, Nijel Pack came crashing back down to earth, shooting 4-15 from the field, including 3-12 from three-point range. Isaiah Wong was somehow worse, going 1-11 from the field, including 0-8 from three. Terrible. Miami played well enough in other areas to win the game: 13 offensive rebounds, 13 steals, and only 6 turnovers. Those numbers made the loss even more frustrating.

The Canes led 70-64 with 4:50 left. Obviously, they were outscored 12-0 to close the game. Miami jacked up a bunch of threes in the last few minutes, missing them all. With Wong having a great season so far (besides the GT game), that is not a winning formula. Miami needs to use their team athleticism to get to the basket when it counts; not settle for long jump shots they can get whenever they want.

A road loss to a 7-7 Georgia Tech team is bad. That said, the Canes have a team and coach that can bounce back from this setback and stay towards the top of the ACC. Their next few games will show their resolve.

The Lady Canes got their first win against a ranked team this season, beating #22 North Carolina 62-58 on Thursday at the Watsco Center. Leading scorer Destiny Harden was unavailable; that didn’t matter for Miami. Haley Cavinder played all forty minutes, putting up 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Jasmyne Roberts chipped in 10 points and 9 rebounds. Deja Kelly led the way for UNC with 19 points and 3 assists, also playing all forty minutes.

Miami not falling behind early was a big reason why they won their second game in a row. They led after every quarter and were only outscored in one. That is how Coach Meier wants her team to play. It is also how we fans expected them to play coming into this season.

The ladies extended their winning streak to three games after beating #9 Virginia Tech on Sunday, 77-66 at the Watsco Center. Wow! Two wins in a row against ranked ACC foes. Let’s go!

Destiny Harden missed her second game in a row. Luckily, she wasn’t missed. Jasmyne Roberts stepped up for the Canes, scoring a career-high 23 points on 8-12 shooting, including 5-7 from three-point range. She also added 8 rebounds. Haley Cavinder was great again, scoring 19 points on 6-12 shooting, with 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Center Elizabeth Kitley led the Hokies with 20 points and 8 rebounds.

Miami kept it close in the first half, leading by a point at halftime. Not to beat a dead horse, but that was huge and gave them the confidence they needed to pull away from Virginia Tech in the second half. The Lady Canes won both the third and fourth quarters by 5 points each. That is the consistency they need to strive for moving forward.

This week:

The guys play twice this week. They first host Boston College on Wednesday, 1/11 at 7:00 PM EST. The game will be televised on ESPNU. BC is 8-8, 2-3 ACC this season. Their 0-3 road record bodes well for a comeback game for the Canes. Miami then travels to Raleigh, NC to take on NC State on Saturday, 1/14 at 12:00 PM EST. Television coverage has not yet been announced. It could be an ACC Extra game, or air on the dreaded Bally Sports Network. The Wolfpack are 13-4, 3-3 ACC this season. They are 5-1 since their 80-73 loss at Miami on 12/10.

The Lady Canes also play twice this week. They first travel to Atlanta, GA to take on Georgia Tech on Thursday, 1/12 at 8:00 PM EST. The game will be televised on ACC Network. The Yellow Jackets are 9-7, 0-5 ACC this season. They have lost four games in a row. Miami then hosts Wake Forest on Sunday, 1/15 at 2:00 PM EST. Television coverage has not yet been announced. The Demon Deacons are 11-6, 2-4 ACC this season. They beat GT yesterday, snapping a two-game losing streak.

GO CANES!