Forget the loss at Florida Gulf Coast, as just about every team gets a
mulligan in college basketball, because the Miami Hurricanes are
developing into one of the best teams in the ACC.
And if you are
one of the ACC’s top clubs, you are among the best in the nation, too.
Putting Miami in such company isn’t much of a reach if you have seen the
Hurricanes play in recent weeks.
The Hurricanes have some
issues, for sure. They can be a bit reckless with the ball, take some
questionable shots, and don’t have a great deal of proven depth right
now. They could also use a more classic mid-sized slasher to complement
their backcourt and front line.
Otherwise, the 'Canes are good. Really good.
While
the national pundits have ignored them, the 'Canes have put together
quite a run, including Tuesday night’s 72-50 romp at Central Florida.
Miami
streaked to a 17-4 early lead that included three 3-pointers, one by
Reggie Johnson, a beautiful backdoor layup, slam-dunk follow of a miss, a
nifty layup by Shane Larkin on a feed from power forward Kenny Kadji,
and a minute later a dunk by Kadji off a dish from Larkin.
And
this was against a UCF club that played in the CBI a year ago, entered
the game 6-2 and started transfers from Oklahoma and Virginia. It also
was on the road.
Most impressive about Miami (7-1) in the last
few weeks is how it has managed to move from one important game to the
next without mental drop-offs. The 'Canes didn’t even hit a speed bump
going through the investment in the win over Michigan State, which
included the school handing out-shirts to students to wear.
The
Hurricanes responded from beating the Spartans with an impressive win at
a Massachusetts team that like will play in the NCAA Tournament. And
following final exams and 13 days off from playing a game, Jim
Larranaga’s club routed then-unbeaten Charlotte by 31 points and three
days later clobbered UCF.
The Hurricanes, who have five starters
scoring in double figures, play with a confident swagger, but their
dreams are no longer just fantasies, and the players know it. Johnson
said in October the only difference between Miami and Duke and North
Carolina are the names on the front of the jerseys.
Of course,
when the 'Canes lost to Florida Gulf Coast in early November, such a
comment was swatted away like a gnat on a humid southern evening. In
fairness to the 'Canes, senior guard Durand Scott didn’t play that
night, and not having him out there left a void that wasn’t filled
“Durand
is our leader vocally on the court,” Larkin said about Scott. “He’s the
loudest person on the team. He’s always talking, getting everybody in
the right position, and I think that’s something we were missing when he
was out. Nobody took that leadership role and stood up an didn’t care
what you thought about he said, he was going to tell you what you needed
to do.”
So Miami’s foundation was rattled a little, and
overlooking an opponent was an obvious lesson. But it has handled it
well and may be better long-term for the experience. Watching them tear
apart UCF on Tuesday and nobody could ever guess this club had already
suffered such an indignity.
The 6-foot-10, 292-pound Johnson is
smart and much more well-rounded a player than his body type might
suggest. Scott is athletic and gives the team the kind of toughness
usually associated with players from the Bronx.
Kadji is a long
athlete from Cameroon whose game continues to grow. Trey Mckinney Jones
is a long-bomber and Larkin may be the most underrated point guard in
the nation. He needs to distribute a bit more, but he’s cat-quick and
super fast. Larkin sees the floor well and comes from great bloodlines.
His father, Barry Larkin, was recently inducted into the major League
Baseball Hall of Fame.
The 'Canes can run, they can bully you in
a half-court game, they can adapt on the fly, and they play defense.
Opponents are converting just 38 percent of their shots from the field,
including just 29.5 percent from the perimeter.
Four seniors
start and two key reserves are also in their final years of eligibility.
Plus, no other ACC team whose coach isn’t named Williams or Krzyzewski
has a coach that has already guided a team to the Final Four. Larranaga
took George Mason there in 2006.
Miami has more than enough to
contend for the ACC regular season title and make a run for something
special in March. All Larranaga must do is keep this bunch on the same
page and thinking about this season and not their futures.
