Miami basketball finishes 16th in Coaches Poll
Mar 27, 2022; Chicago, IL, USA; Mandatory Credit: Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami basketball team finished the 2021-22 season ranked 16th in the USA Today Coaches poll after being picked 12th in the ACC in the preseason projections. Miami finished the 2021-22 season 26-11, fourth in the ACC regular season, advanced to the semifinals of the tournament and NCAA Midwest Regional Final.
The NCAA Tournament run by Miami was the deepest in program history. Miami finishes with its fourth-highest postseason ranking in program history. The Hurricanes previously finished eighth after the 2015-16 season, tenth in 2013, and 12th in 1999. Miami also finished 10th in the Associated Press postseason poll.
The AP does not publish a post-season poll now. Miami moved up 10 spots in the final Coaches poll rankings which was the second-biggest jump in the final rankings. National runner-up North Carolina moved up 24 spots in the final rankings. Duke who finished third was the only other ACC team ranked ahead of Miami.
Miami defeated North Carolina by 27 points in January and split two games versus Duke this season. Auburn who Miami eliminated 79-61 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament finished ranked 14th. Miami defeated number 23 Iowa State in the regional semifinals and lost to National Champion Kansas.
Miami finished the season with a 4-2 record against ranked teams in the final poll. Iowa State, Kentucky and Miami were the only teams during the 2021-22 season to defeat two of the top three teams in the final rankings. Miami ended the season ranked for the first time since the end of the 2018 season.
The 26 wins the Miami basketball team earned in 2021-22 are the third-most in program history. Miami was 29-7 in the 2012-13 season in which the Hurricanes won the ACC regular-season and tournament titles. The 2015-16 Hurricanes finished the season 27-8 and advanced to the regional semifinals.
Miami head coach Jim Larranaga passed Bruce Hale for the most wins in program history this season. Larranaga is now 226-141 in 11 seasons. Hale was 220-112 in 13 seasons. Larranaga is second to Hale in Miami basketball history with a .613 winning percent. The five NCAA appearances under Larranaga are also first.
