Louisville at Miami Basketball Preview and Prediction
Article photo of Miami's Jordan Miller; credit Jason Vinlove of USA-Today Sports.
The Miami Hurricanes host the Louisville Cardinals tonight. The game will be at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network.
This is a game in which Miami should be able to win, but there could be pitfalls. Remember, Miami lost to lowly Georgia Tech earlier this year when they came out flat against an inferior opponent.
That cannot happen tonight in Coral Gables at the Watsco Center.
Here are areas to think about for how and why Jim Larranaga and his Hurricanes should come up with a victory this evening.
It's gameday!!!
— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) February 11, 2023
See you at the Watsco Center tonight for Miami vs. Louisville at 7 PM!
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*Miami sits at 10-4 in the ACC, a half game out of first place. That statistic alone should motivate every player on the roster, guard Isaiah Wong and all the way to the end of the bench.
*The Hurricanes have not lost a home contest this season. Like many teams, Miami often plays well at home. That certainly was the case with the demolition of Duke on Monday, with the Canes winning 81-59.
*The opposite has been true for Louisville overall. The Cardinals have lost nine of their last 10 contests, with the lone victory coming against the Yellow Jackets at home. Further, Louisville just lost 91-57 to Pittsburgh on the road this past Tuesday.
*Miami held star Louisville guard El Ellis to just 1-10 from the field during the first meeting in which the Canes won 80-53 at the Cardinals. While it’s not expected that Ellis will shoot that poorly again, part of the reason he struggled was Miami’s athleticism, length and overall defensive tenacity during the first contest.
Look for more of the same effort tonight. Even if Ellis reaches double figures in scoring, he’s going to work hard to score those points. Additionally, Ellis has struggled far more on the road, scorind only eight points at Notre Dame and seven points at Pittsburgh, during the last two road contests for Louisville.
*One of the reasons Ellis struggled was wing player Jordan Miller. His long arms did well in defending the talented guard when he was near him, and he also has been playing well of late on the offensive end as well. Miller has gone a combined 30-50 for 60% from the field during his last five contests. He’s averaged 14.4 points per game during those five games as well.
*Do not forget about Miami’s key man in the paint, Norchad Omier. He’s been playing well by way of scoring in double figures in five consecutive games, and also being a top rebounder (10.1 per game this season) with 45 boards during that same stretch of contests.
In the end, there’s no reason Miami should not come out on top. Here’s the prediction for this evening’s game:
Miami 81 Louisville 66
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