Miami is back in the early conversation, landing at No. 22 in KenPom’s preseason rankings as college basketball gets ready to tip off.
That slot comes after the Hurricanes’ Round of 32 exit against Purdue last season, and it reflects a profile KenPom likes on both ends of the floor. The system, which weighs factors such as returning players, offense, defense, and team history, gave Miami an offensive efficiency mark of 118.4, good for No. 27 nationally, and a defensive efficiency rating of 94.9, which checks in at No. 17.
Jai Lucas has already put together a roster with a clear mix of experience and upside. In the backcourt, Miami added Acaden Lewis, Nick Dorn, and Brent Bland while keeping shooting guard Dante Allen in the fold. Up front, the Hurricanes are led by Somto Cyril and Malik Reneau, and the group also includes five-star Caleb Gaskins, LSU transfer Robert Miller, and international player Egor Ryzhov.
Miami opens its season on November 2 with a trip to Tampa, Florida, to face Florida, the No. 2 team in the country in KenPom’s rankings.
At the top of the ACC, Duke sits alone at No. 1 nationally. Virginia is ranked No. 15, and Louisville comes in at No. 17.
KenPom’s top 25 also includes St. John’s at No.
23, Purdue at No. 24, Auburn at No. 25, and Kentucky at No. 26, with Miami right in the middle of that cluster at No.
- The full top 40 also features UCLA at No.
27, Michigan at No. 28, North Carolina at No.
37, Mississippi at No. 38, Providence at No. 39, and Wisconsin at No.
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 🡒]
Miamis FSU Ticket Scramble Put One New Problem Front And Center
The scramble for free student tickets to Miamis rivalry game against Florida State turned into a familiar kind of college-football chaos as the Hurricanes opened access through a new Ticketmaster system. Students ran into long virtual lines and website issues, even though the school had set up the process with the promise of making distribution smoother and more orderly than the old way.
By later in the day, tickets were still available, which took some of the immediate heat off the rush but did little to quiet the questions around the partnership Miami announced in July. The new setup was supposed to streamline the process, but the opening act instead gave students another reminder that a better ticketing experience is still a work in progress. [Read more 🡒]