The Canes Stomp The Noles, 86-63

Jan 25, 2023 - 2:56 AM

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Good evening Canes fans. We’re coming to you from a hotel in Brunswick, GA. Work travel! It’s exciting. Not really. It’s cold here and I miss my family. Let’s change the mood with some ACC College Basketball talk.

The Miami Hurricanes dominated the Florida State Seminoles tonight in Tallahassee, 86-63. All five Miami starters scored in double figures. Isaiah Wong led the Canes with 18 points and 9 rebounds. Nijel Pack also scored 18 and dished out 5 assists. Norchad Omier had another double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Caleb Mills led FSU with 12 points. Miami improves to 16-4, 7-3 ACC. Florida State drops to 7-14, 5-5 ACC.

Below are some random thoughts from tonight’s game.

Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

Miami’s first half was incredible

The Canes couldn’t miss in the first twenty minutes. Nijel Pack was 4-5 from three-point range (his one miss was a half-court heave as time expired). Wooga Poplar scored 10 points, pulled down 4 rebounds, and dished out 3 assists. Wong and Omier scored 8 points each. It was beautiful to watch. The passing was crisp. The shooting was fluid. The defense was stifling. Coach L was right to have his squad arrive early in Tallahassee to prep for tonight’s game. Miami needed this type of win after their disappointing loss at Duke.

Isaiah Wong looked healthy for the most part

Phew! It’s good for Miami fans to see Wong lead the team in scoring again. His sinus infection affected his play the last two games, and the Canes suffered for it. Wong looks to be a little short of 100%. Whatever. His shot was on point and he wasn’t scared to drive to the basket.

Miami’s second half play was too sloppy

Luckily, FSU played almost as sloppy themselves. The Canes made enough plays on offense and were good enough on the defensive boards to never be seriously threatened. That said, I would’ve liked to see better discipline from an experienced team like Miami. They committed 12 of their 17 turnovers after halftime. Harlond Beverly committed four turnovers in ten minutes; two in each half. Man, he stinks on the road. Omier also had four turnovers. He made some bonehead plays on offense that left me shaking my head. I shouldn’t be too negative though. Omier also had 4 assists, a couple of which were nice touch passes that led to lay-ups.

It feels good to beat FSU, no matter how bad they are this year

I’ll be honest, I had no idea the Noles had a nine-game winning streak over the Canes. I definitely remember to two one-point losses last year. They were freaking brutal. I fully expected FSU to play Miami tough tonight; thought I would be stressed for most of the contest. The way the Canes started the game showed their maturity. It also showed Coach L’s determination to end the losing streak. We’re on to Pittsburgh! Let’s go!

GO CANES!