Miami Loses to FSU on Buzzer Beater, Still Controls ACC Fate
The Miami basketball season has been great. Saturday night appeared to be the same through roughly 30 minutes of action, but the ending was devastating.
Coming off a back injury, Florida State’s Matthew Cleveland scored 3 of his 20 points at the buzzer – with Miami’s Jordan Miller contesting the 28-foot jump shot – and the Noles completed a 25-point comeback to split the season series with Miami one win a piece.
It's ironic. When Miller made a free throw in the first half with 1:29 to play before intermission, the Canes went up by a score of 50-25. This rivalry game was a blowout by all accounts.
Then it was not a blowout, and then it was a flat out loss.
It was as gut-wrenching of an "L" as any team could have. There’s no sugarcoating it. Miami absolutely collapsed. Players and coaches were both accountable for how it happened, not one or the other.
Under no circumstance can a team with an 8-20 record come into the Watsco Center and beat the Canes, especially as talented as Miami has proven to be.
Again, that was a 25-point comeback. Just ridiculous.
Now, hats off to the Noles for their comeback. They deserved credit for their efforts. Still, this loss was more about Miami taking its foot off the gas and flat out having one of the worst moments in recent program history.
That stated, the Canes can still share a part of the ACC regular season title because North Carolina knocked off Virginia 71-63, so that's one of the top ACC contenders still behind Miami. Now Pittsburgh sits at the top of the ACC standings by itself.
The Canes will get a chance to knock off the ACC's top team. Miami hosts Pittsburgh on March 4, and the Panthers have a road contest at Notre Dame on March 1 prior to heading to Coral Gables.
As it stands on Feb. 26, Pittsburgh leads the ACC with a 14-4 mark, Miami has found itself in second place at 14-5, and Virginia has landed in third place at 13-5.
It’s going to be a long week to sulk for the Hurricanes. Will they be emotionally ready to play the Panthers after the big letdown against the Seminoles?
There’s still much to play for this next Saturday when Pittsburgh comes to town and Miami needs to avenge their own poor performance. That game against the Panthers can get the Canes back on track prior to the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament.
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Fan Nation High school football recruiting analyst covering the state of Florida, as well as across the Southeastern United States and the state of Texas.