Live Game Thread and Preview: Miami Basketball At Wake Forest

DATE: Saturday, January 6, 2024

WHERE: Winston-Salem, NC, Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum

TIME/TV: 2:15 EST/CW Network

LIVE AUDIO: 560 WQAM

MIAMI: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter

WAKE FOREST: Official Website | Schedule | Roster | Stats | Twitter

LINE: WAKE -4.5

Miami (11-2, 2-0 ACC) defeated Clemson 95-82 in its last game.

Wake Forest (10-3, 2-0 ACC) beat Boston College 84-78 in its last contest.

Series History

This will be the 30th overall meeting between Miami and unranked Wake Forest, with the Hurricanes holding the series’ narrow 16-13 advantage. Miami has struggled playing in Winston-Salem, posting a 2-11 mark on the road.

The programs met twice in 2022-23, with the Hurricanes winning both contests, one at home (96-87) and one in the ACC Tournament (74-72).

Last Game

Miami recorded its first ranked win of the season on Wednesday, downing the No. 16 Clemson Tigers, 95-82, at the Watsco Center.

As a team, Miami shot 53 percent from the field and 45.8 percent from the 3-point range. The Hurricanes’ 75 percent shooting effort in the second half was the first time a Mami team shot better than 70 percent in a half since 2017 (70 percent vs. Middle Tennessee).

Three Hurricanes recorded 20-plus-point outings vs. Clemson–Nijel Pack (25), Matthew Cleveland (23) and Norchad Omier (23). This is the fourth time in the Jim Larrañaga era that three players have scored 20-plus points in the same game. All four have come in the last five years, with the most recent vs. Louisville on Feb. 11, 2023 (Pack – 22, Omier – 21, Isaiah Wong – 21).

Miami shot 75 percent from the field in the second half vs. Clemson, its highest shooting percentage in a half since joining the ACC (2004-05). The previous mark was 73.9 percent (17-23) at Florida State on Feb. 13, 2013. Pack and Cleveland were each a perfect 6-6 from the field and 2-of-2 from 3-point range. Cleveland knocked down a pair of shots from the charity stripe, while Pack went 6-for-6 at the line.

In Miami’s game against Clemson, its 95 points came from the starting five. Since 1996, Miami is one of 13 teams to score 95-plus points and have zero points from the bench, per Stats Perform. The Hurricanes have played nine games since 1996, where the bench contributed zero points (regardless of point total), all of which have occurred since 2017.

Notable Miami Statistics

Miami is one of two teams (Creighton) with three players averaging 15+ points and 5+ rebounds per game this year (Omier, Cleveland, Wooga Poplar).

Forward Omier eclipsed the 1,500-point mark in his career two games ago, pouring in 27 points vs. UNF. He is one of three active Division I players to record 1,500 career points and 1,000 career rebounds.

Omier has been playing some of his best basketball lately, averaging 23.3 points and 10.3 rebounds while shooting 72 percent from the field and 91 percent from the free-throw line over the last four games.

He currently ranks first in the ACC in double-doubles and is one of three ACC players to rank in the top 10 in the conference in scoring (seventh) and rebounding (third).

When playing 19-plus minutes, Kyshawn George averages 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game.

Pack dominated the court in his first game back from a lower extremity injury, pouring in a game-best 25 points for his second 20-point outing of the season. Pack shot 75 percent from 3-point range in the game and was a perfect 6-of6 from the field in the second half.

Twenty of Pack’s 25 points came during the final 20 minutes of action. The guard added five rebounds, three assists, and a steal to his stat line. Over the last five games, Pack has shot 64.7 percent from the 3-point range, averaging 13.8 points per contest.

The Hurricanes have eclipsed the 90-point mark six times this year, marking the 18th time a Miami team has scored 90-plus points six times in a season. The record for 90-point games by a Miami team is 16, set back in 1988-89. The Hurricanes have scored 90-plus points in three straight games for the first time since 2015-16.

The Hurricanes will play just their second true road contest of the season on Saturday. Miami is 0-1 on the road this year, falling at No. 12 Kentucky in November.

Miami is 278-412 all-time in road games and 156-252 since the program’s rebirth in 1985. Under Coach L, Miami holds a 70-69 record on the road.

The Opponent

Notable Wake Forest Statistics

The Demon Deacons enter Saturday’s contest with a 10-3 overall mark and undefeated in ACC play (2-0), tied with Miami atop the ACC standings.

Four Demon Deacons are averaging double-figures this season, paced by Hunter Sallis at 18.4 points per game. Wake Forest is led in rebounding by Efton Reid at nine boards per contest. Wake Forest’s only three losses of the season have come to Power 5 teams (Georgia, Utah, and LSU).

The Demon Deacons enter the contest on an eight-game winning streak, the longest since 2008-09, when Wake won 16 in a row. The Deacs have a plus-150 point differential for an average margin of victory of 18.8 during that span.

Offensively, Wake Forest is the only school in Division I to have four players averaging 14.5+ points per game, with Hunter Sallis, Boopie Miller, Andrew Carr, and Cameron Hildreth all adding over 14.5 points per game.

Wake is fourth in the league and 39th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 48.4 percent from the field as a team. They are fifth in the league in scoring margin, beating teams by an average of 12.85 points.

Wake’s 81.5 points per game are fifth in the league in scoring offense, and their average of 8.3 made threes per game is fourth. The Deacs are shooting a .379 clip from a 3-point range, which is third-best in the ACC.

Defensively, the Deacs are 6th in the ACC in scoring defense, limiting teams to 68 points per game on 42 percent from the field. Individually, Carr is 7th in the ACC in blocked shots, with 22 total and 1.69 per game.

The Deacs are currently 4th in the country and second in the ACC in free throw percentage, shooting 80.16 percent from the line as a team. Miami is 3rd and first, respectively, hitting 80.18. Individually, Hildreth is 8th in the ACC, shooting 84.2 from the line.

Miami Athletics and Wake Forest Athletics Contributed to this report

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