Miami Falls Big To Duke 84-55 In The Absence Of Nijel Pack and Matthew Cleveland
Being without Nijel Pack and Matthew Cleveland put Miami at a disadvantage early, and their lack of quality depth kept them from competing in this game.
With Class of 2025 targets Cameron and Cayden Boozer in attendance, the 8th-ranked Duke Blue Devils helped bolster their chances in their recruitment over the Hurricanes with an 84-55 win.
Now with twelve losses on the season, Miami's season appears it will be coming to an end at the ACC Tournament.
Leading the way for the Blue Devils was the trio of Jeremy Roach, Kyle Filipowski, and Mark Mitchell, scoring 16, 15, and 15 points respectively. Duke led by as much as 31 points as Miami's offense never really got going at any point in the game.
While it was a quiet night for star freshman Jared McCain, the Blue Devils shot 51.9% from the field and 44.8% from three. When asked about McCain''s off night, Coach Jon Scheyer expressed zero doubt that he'll be back to his dominant self next game.
Duke improves to 12-3 as they make a late push for the number one seed over North Carolina in the ACC Tournament next month.
As for the Hurricanes, Wooga Poplar was the main source of offense tonight. He finished with 15 points as he took on a larger scoring role with Pack and Cleveland out. Bensley Joseph added to his point total late in the game finishing with 15 points as well.
Duke put the clamps on Norchad Omier, as he shot just 21.4% from the field and finished with nine points. Without Pack and Cleveland, Duke knew that shutting down Omier would slow down the Hurricanes' offense.
Even though Miami was close through the first few minutes of the game, their energy never seemed completely in it. Coach Jim Larrañaga said that the team not being a full strength has affected them throughout the season, and has noticed a lack of effort season-long.
Looking forward to Miami, they'll be back in action on Saturday as Georgia Tech comes to the Watsco Center for a 4:00 PM tip-off on ACC Network. With the chances of postseason basketball dwindling, there's no telling if Pack will be set to return.
2023-24 Miami Hurricanes Basketball Schedule
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You can find Liam on Twitter @theleftyliam where he shares news on University of Miami basketball and football as well as opinions