By Kenneth Cross
The conference grind can be tough for teams and coaches in all 32 college basketball conferences, but as the No. 19 Miami Hurricanes have now spent a second healthy season in a row so far, it is allowing them to precede in a quest for the top of the ACC race.
Consider that over the last 37 games, Miami has the best record in the ACC at 27-10 and the Hurricanes added that 27th ‘W’ in Monday evening’s 80-72 win at North Carolina.
“They’re a very big team as (Armando) Bacot is a monster inside and their guards can shoot the ball from as far outside as they need to,” said Hurricanes coach Jim Larrañaga. “I thought we hung in there and we had to after Norchad Omier got in foul trouble in the first half.”
Omier has turned into one of the key weapons in the Miami arsenal as he averages close to a double-double (13.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game) while shooting 53.9 percent from the field.
Monday evening, foul trouble hampered Omier as he played only 23 minutes and made only 1- of-7 shots from the field.
Guards Jordan Miller and Nigel Pack picked up the slack for Miami with Omier sidelined. Miller led the Hurricanes with 24 points and 11 rebounds while Pack popped in 23 as four of those were from three.
“We took a one-point lead at halftime and came back out and took control of the game for the first 10 minutes of the second half and we kept it for the next five minutes,” said Larrañaga. “Then we made mistakes and I think if your guys had to do it all over, they would make different decisions.”
Miller devises his own game plan for each game and by going 9-of-14 and in playing 40 minutes, he and Pack joined their opportunities to keep the Hurricanes within one game of the ACC’s first place.
“I like getting in the paint and taking my time to see what’s there, whether a score or assist, and I love to pump fake,” said Miller. “It was falling for me tonight. A good road win and a good statement win that shows we can go on the road and win too.”
Miller came in averaging 15 ppg and shooting 53.5 percent from the floor as he has turned into one of the top players in the ACC with teammates Omier and guard Isaiah Wong.
“I told the team before the game that we would have to play at the Dean Dome against a Carolina team that has lost only one time at home and that is by one point,” said Larrañaga,
The Hurricanes made 22-of-26 free throws as they were able to break the press and not become reprehensible with turnovers.
“All in all we made free throws and we broke the press and that is what allowed us to come away with a very hard fought rode victory,” said Larrañaga.
In addition, Miami held North Carolina to making only 5-of-31 three-point shots.
Miami was concerned about 26 of North Carolina’s 34 first half points coming from the inside.
“We said (at halftime) we can’t allow a team that’s as good at shooting twos to continue,” Larrañaga noted. “They were making layups on us and we had to take that away and the guys did a good job at doing that.”
As the ‘Canes worked to take away the paint in the second half, the three-point field goal was clearly the Tar Heels’ opportunity to get back into the game and take it over. In addition, the Hurricanes outrebounded North Carolina, 40-32, where they matched the Heels by scoring 14 points off the offensive glass.
Miller scored eight points in the first 5:32 of the second half as Miami built it’s lead to 48-38 with 14:28 remaining. Miami pushed it’s biggest lead to 54-50 with 11:36 to play. It was Miller and Pack who combined for 11 of 15 points in a 15-5 run that ended when Harlond Beverly netted a pair of free throws.
“I have said this over and over again that I think Jordan is the most underrated player in the country,” commented Larrañaga. “The number of things that he can do well makes him a tough matchup for anybody.”
Larrañaga was an assistant at Virginia for seven seasons in 1979-86. He landed in Miami in 2011 after steering George Mason to a Final Four berth three seasons before his landing in Coral Gables.
“You can go back 50 years and the league was great,” Larrañaga explained. “It is always disappointing to me to learn that it is said that our league is not as good as others in the country. No one has proven it to me yet.”