ACC Media Day is in the books, and Miami is already staring down the kind of opening stretch that tells you exactly what kind of team it is.
The Hurricanes’ non-conference slate is loaded with heavy hitters from the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten, and that’s not by accident. For Jai Lucas, the schedule is built to show him something real about his team early, before the season settles into any kind of rhythm.
“I think we have the ability to be as competitive with anybody in the country,” Lucas said. “The biggest thing is, like you said, when will gel, that's always the hardest question. And I think that will take us at least the first month, because you got to get in those environments, you have to get in those games that kind of see.
“And the way we did the schedule this year was on purpose, you know, last year, I felt we needed confidence. I need confidence.
You know, first time being a head coach to going into the game so schedule. This year, I feel like we needed markers and we need reality checks at certain points.”
That approach lines up with the urgency inside the program. Shelton Henderson is back for another season, and he’s expected to be “the man.” He sounds ready for that responsibility, and he’s not interested in easing into anything.
“It’s what we wanted,” Henderson said. “We wanted to jump in the fire right away.
Aint no waiting. We coming and be swinging right away.
That's what [Lucas] preaches to us and just not waiting. Just every practice tells us the things aren't going to wait for us, we got to go and go out there and take everything we want.
I think that's what we're really planning on doing.”
Miami has plenty of buzz heading into the season, with what’s being described as one of the best rosters in the country and one of the best coaches in the conference. The expectation is championships, and the early schedule gives the Hurricanes a chance to find out where they really stand before the year gets away from them.
For year two of the Jai Lucas era, those early tests are exactly the point.
In Other News...
Miami Defense Gets Timely Boost Before FSU With Bigger Questions Ahead
Miamis defense got a welcome lift this week, with Mario Cristobal confirming on the Joe Rose show that Xavier Lucas, Marquise Lightfoot, Ezekiel Marcelin Jr. and Damari Brown are all returning to play. With Florida State on deck, the timing matters for a unit that has spent the bye week trying to get healthier and stabilize its rotation after dealing with a run of injury setbacks.
Some of the players who were hurt before the break are trending in the right direction, while Max Buchanan and JaBoree Antoine remain sidelined. Even with reinforcements coming back, Miami still has to sort out how the depth chart holds up, though the staff has already identified backups who stepped in and helped keep things afloat when the injuries piled up. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Faces One Big O-Line Concern Before Florida State
Miami is getting healthier on defense at a good time, with Ezekiel Marcelin Jr., Marquise Lightfoot, Xavier Lucas and Damari Brown all back in the mix ahead of the Florida State rivalry game. That gives the Hurricanes some needed depth and flexibility on that side of the ball as they head into one of the biggest dates on the schedule.
The more immediate concern is up front, where starting right guard Max Buchanan had surgery for a left knee injury and is expected to miss some time. Miami has not given a firm return timeline, and the staff is sorting through options to replace him on the offensive line, a spot that could loom large with Florida State coming fast. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Basketball Just Got An Early National Reality Check
KenPoms preseason numbers are in, and they give Miami a pretty solid national starting point after last seasons NCAA tournament exit. The Hurricanes come in at No. 22 overall, with an offense rated 118.4 and a defense sitting at 94.9, a profile that suggests a team with enough balance to hang around the top 25 if it settles in quickly.
The first real test arrives right away on Nov. 2, when Miami opens against Florida, the No. 2 team in KenPoms preseason rankings. It is the kind of early measuring-stick game that can tell a staff plenty about where the Hurricanes stand before the long grind of ACC play really begins. [Read more 🡒]