CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Miami’s latest tune-up was a comfortable one, but the bigger takeaway came from a team that had just seen both the Hurricanes and UCLA in back-to-back games.
After No. 17 Miami handled North Florida 89-51 on Monday night, the Ospreys offered a rare side-by-side look at how the Hurricanes stack up against another top program.
No. 9 UCLA had played North Florida in its previous game, and the comparison was immediate: both teams are built the way their coaches want, but Miami, according to UNF coach Bobby Kennen, brings a little more size and physicality.
“I think that, you know, as you think about one of the things about UCLA, I think that maybe a similarity, I think both of these teams fit their coaches,” Kennen said after the loss to Miami. “You know, Coach Cronin has a team out there that fits him, that fits his personality; they're together, you know, 17. I'm terrible at names, but he's obviously one of the best players in the world, but if you watch him on the bench, he's also the best teammate.
“You know, like, he's incredible, and I think they've found a way to kind of be together as a team, and I think Jai has as well…. I think, you know, Miami is a little bit bigger; they're more physical.
They're more physical, particularly to start. Now, UCLA had a guy out, you know, who was a pretty good player, too.
But, you know, I think they've both done a great job in building teams that fit them, and they can, you know, compete on a national stage and one board, and compete in their leagues."
Kennen’s view framed Miami as a team with real upside, even against a program he described as “Final Four-good.” But the box score also showed the gap that still separates the Hurricanes from that level: shooting.
UCLA buried 14 threes on 29 attempts against North Florida. Miami made five of 27.
That’s the piece Jai Lucas keeps circling back to. The Hurricanes got clean looks against UNF, and Lucas believes the results will catch up if the process stays the same.
“I'm excited," Lucas said. "I'm excited because we're not even scratching the surface. But what we can be as a team. and, you know, even in the first game, I thought we were right there. And for us, it probably was like a C-minus game.
"You know, and so where we can get to, hopefully, where, you know, those guys are knocking down and if you end up with just say, nine threes, you know, you're almost 100 points. And it's field is completely different.
Look's completely different. But for me it's about the process.
I thought we played it right away in the process of the shots we got, were clean, and if we keep doing that, like you said, eventually, they will fall."
Miami, now 2-1, is moving on to the Player Eras Tournament in Las Vegas, where it opens against TCU.
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