Baha Mar Hoops: Miami Handled The Bulldogs, But Can They Top The Wildcats?
With Miami already taking care of business against the Georgia Bulldogs in their first game of the Baha Mar Basketball tournament, they'll now face the Kansas State Wildcats in a familiar matchup for one of their key players.
While the roster is completely different with a new coach since Nijel Pack transferred two off-seasons ago, he'll get the chance to face his former team in the championship game.
It's a game Miami fans hope Pack finally breaks out from his slow start to the season. He's been the team's lowest-scoring starter. Despite being one of the best shooters in the NCAA tournament last year, he's shooting an embarrassing 25% from behind the arc.
Shooting from deep was also a team problem in their game against the Bulldogs, as they won despite a 29.2% rate from behind the arc.
Along with shooting more efficiently, what else will it take for Miami to win today?
Keep The Wildcats From Running Away With Offensive Rebounds
Not only has Miami been underperforming on the boards, they've been allowing their opponents to dominate them on the offensive glass. Kansas State has accumulated 55 offensive boards through four games while Miami has just 34.
Coach Jim Larrañaga will call upon Norchad Omier and Michael Nwoko to focus on their efforts rebounding. Allowing the Wildcats to have too many second-chance opportunities can have the Hurricanes out of the game before they even know it.
Get More Offensive Production From The Bench Players
While the reserves for Miami appear to still be getting used to increased roles on the team, the Hurricanes need to start seeing some offensive production from them. If you ignore the NJIT season opener, no Miami reserve has scored more than five points during a game.
Miami isn't necessarily looking for a 20-point game from one of their backups, but they need a spark when the team isn't hitting their shots. If it wasn't for Miami snapping back into it against Georgia with some big runs, it could've gotten ugly.
For the bench players to look at, keep an eye on Christian Watson or AJ Casey to be the ones who make the impact for the Hurricanes.
To see how Miami goes about in their matchup against the Kansas State Wildcats in the Baha Mar Hoops Championship game, tune in on CBSSN at 2:30 EST.
2023-24 Miami Hurricanes Basketball Schedule
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