This week in Miami Hurricanes Basketball: 11/21 Edition

Hey everyone. We’re back for another week of Miami Hurricanes Men’s and Women’s basketball. Neither team will be going undefeated this season, with both teams losing yesterday. Let’s break it down.

Last week:

I recapped the Men’s 74-64 win over Providence. Coach L now has 700 wins in college basketball! Legend status. The Canes have had trouble with Providence in the past, so it was good to see them come out on top.

With the win, Miami moved on to play the Maryland Terrapins in the finals of Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament. Maryland had won their previous four game by double digits, just like the Canes. And that’s where the similarities ended. Maryland swarmed Miami from the start, The Terrapins made seven three-pointers in the first half, taking a 47-34 lead into halftime. The Canes showed fight, but could not get within single digits in the second half, losing 88-70. Isaiah Wong led Miami with 22 points. All five Maryland starters scored in double figures, with Donta Scott leading the way with 24 points and 8 rebounds.

Maryland’s size advantage over Miami was glaring; the Terrapins won the rebound battle, 39-20. Yikes. Norchad Omier is awesome, but he can’t be Miami’s only functioning big man. AJ Casey played some solid minutes, but he’s not a true rotation player yet. I am hoping he can get there later this season. If he can’t, the Canes will continue to struggle against bigger teams. Miami is off to a faster start than previous seasons. That said, I think they would give Maryland a much better game three months from now, after some development and further gelling among the transfers. We shall see.

One bright spot: Isaiah Wong’s continued strong start to the season. He looks better than ever. The Canes might have another All-ACC player on their roster this year, after Kameron McGusty’s First-Team selection last season.

The Lady Canes started the week strong, crushing FAU, 75-42. Lazaria Spearman came off the bench to lead Miami with 15 points and 10 rebounds, playing only 19 minutes. The freshman has been a force so far this season, providing consistent scoring whenever she is called on.

The Lady Canes traveled to Chicago for their first road game of the season, falling to the DePaul Blue Demons yesterday, 98-83. Spearman led Miami in scoring yet again, putting up 19 points on 7-7 shooting. The reserve forward is a force! I can’t wait to see what she does in conference play. Destiny Harden had 18 points and 6 rebounds as well, doing most of her damage before halftime. Miami made some runs in the second half, but could not get enough defensive stops to come back and steal the game.

This week:

Miami’s Men’s team hosts St. Francis (NY) on Wednesday, 11/23 at 6:30 PM EST. The game is televised on ACC Network. They then travel to Orlando to take on UCF on Sunday, 11/27 at 5:00 PM EST. Television coverage has not yet been announced. The Canes hope to avenge last November’s home loss to the Knights.

The Lady Canes are staying in Chicago to take on Loyola Chicago tomorrow night, 11/22 at 7:00 PM EST. They then come home to host North Carolina A&T in Round one of the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday, 11/25 at 3:00 PM EST.

See you back Wednesday night after the guys take on St. Francis (NY).

GO CANES!