Miami Experiencing Growing Pains Entering Regular Season’s Final Month

Following their road win over Notre Dame on January 13, the Miami Hurricanes were experiencing the highest of the highs. Vibes were great. The team improved its overall record to 15-2 and won its first four ACC games. They put together an eye-popping 10-game win streak and were poised to make the NCAA Tournament.

Now, the vibes, feelings, and thoughts have slowly changed. While the team is still in a good spot, UM is now facing questions about its postseason chances. The Canes are currently in a rough patch, having lost three of their last five games.

While the defeats haven’t been outlandish in the final box score, they have all felt catastrophic. Miami lost by 10 to No. 22 Clemson, dropping the squad’s record to 0-3 against ranked opponents this season. Then, the Hurricanes would inexplicably drop two heartbreakers in their own confines.

Two weeks ago, Florida State came into the Watsco Center and ended Miami’s undefeated run in their own building. The 65-63 loss only continues the Hurricanes’ recent misery against the archrival Seminoles. FSU has won 15 of the last 16 contests in the series.

Then, last Saturday, Miami once again failed to grab a key victory in front of its own crowd. Against Cal, the Canes built an 11-point lead with under 10 minutes to go in the second half. Unfortunately, the lead would slowly slip away, and the Golden Bears would eventually pull off an 86-85 upset as an 11.5-point underdog.

Shelton Henderson would have a chance to save UM on the final possession, only to see the ball bounce hard off the glass and off the rim. Miami was once in a three-way tie for first place in the ACC. Now, they sit 3.5 games out of first place in the conference.

The struggles have been compounded by the issues that have plagued this team all season long. The free-throw shooting has been underwhelming. In the two-point defeat to the Noles, Henderson, Malik Reneau, and Tru Washington combined for four missed foul shots.

In the one-point loss to Cal, Miami missed 10 of its 33 free throws. The Hurricanes have lost games that they should have won because this aspect of their play has been too inadequate and inconsistent. On top of the woes at the charity stripe, Miami has also shown a lack of shooting and depth.

While they aren’t a heavy three-point shooting team, they have failed to connect on the looks they’ve gotten. In this era of basketball, long-range shotmaking is essential to a team’s success. Some of Jai Lucas’ acquisitions in the offseason were brought in to add this element to the team.

Players such as Timotej Malovec have had their struggles in this department. As a team, the Canes are shooting 34.3% from beyond the arc, 10th in the ACC. They are 17th in the league in 3-point field goals made, connecting on only 149 attempts.

The starting lineup has also been the one group keeping this team afloat. The bench unit hasn’t given much production. The bench problems have been exposed when Miami has played deep teams such as Clemson. The regulars of the second unit have yet to score 20 bench points in an ACC tilt this season.

Against Notre Dame, the bench was able to produce 15 points, but 11 of those came from Dante Allen, who’s showing flashes of being an excellent starting guard. There hasn’t been one instance in which multiple players off the bench have produced at the same time.

As of now, the recent skid has put a hold on a potential NCAA Tournament berth for many. Miami is still projected to be one of the 68 teams participating in March Madness. Joe Lunardi of ESPN currently has the Canes as an 11-seed in the South Region.

However, despite their hopes still being alive, there is no question that UM’s postseason prospects have been dented. Now, the Canes enter the most important stretch of the season. On Saturday, they play lowly Boston College in Chestnut Hill.

Following that contest, they will take on No. 14 North Carolina at home, on a night where the football team is being honored for their memorable run to the 2025 CFP National Championship. It will surely be the best atmosphere inside Watsco all year.

Wins are needed during the home stretch to keep Miami in the discussion as a recipient for an at-large bid. Another bad loss will only decrease the team’s tournament chances further. Only time will tell if these Hurricanes will be in the postseason picture. This team has to get off the mat and answer the bell now.