Without Norchad Omier, Miami Falls to Duke 85-78

Hurricanes lose a tough game to Duke.

The Miami Hurricanes suffered a tough loss to the Duke Blue Devils by a score of 85-78 tonight, and it's hard to say what could have been.

With 18:54 remaining in the first half, Norchad Omier came down on Duke center Dereck Lively's foot. He sprained his right ankle and did not return to the game.

Norchad Omier (right ankle) is out for the remainder of the game and will undergo further evaluation.

— Canes Men’s Basketball (@CanesHoops) March 11, 2023

Stepping in for the Canes were multiple interior players – Anthony Walker and A.J. Casey in particular – that did quite well at clogging the lane and keeping Duke from completely dominating in the paint. Additionally, seldom used freshman big man Favour Aire gave some minutes to help offset the loss of Omier.

As the saying goes, next man up. Miami head coach Jim Larranaga certainly found the right combinations to get quality minutes from his backup big men with Omier out of the game.

Ironically, Duke's Kyle Filipowski had been struggling with an ankle injury but was able to play against Miami. He finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

For the Hurricanes, guard Isaiah Wong was on his offensive game. He knocked in 22 points. Likewise, Jordan Miller was hitting tough shots. He ended up with 17 points.

Looking back at the contest, the final six minutes of play were key.

Wong kept playing really well, and doing so by taking the ball to the hoop. He drew a foul on Lively that ended up drawing Miami to within three points at 60-57 as he knocked in both free throws.

Unfortunately for the Canes, Wong soon after picked up his fourth foul with 5:12 to play. He was only out of the lineup for a short while, but it was helpful to the Blue Devils as they expanded their lead to 73-67, an advantage of five points with Wong out of the lineup, in just 90 seconds of play.

Despite a step back one-legged knock down by Miller off a pass from Wong, Duke was not going to be denied.

That's when some tired legs came into play, and Duke's Jeremy Roach drilled a 3-point bucket that was a dagger, giving the Blue Devils a 78-71 lead with 1:33 left. Miami pressed and trapped, but could not come up with the steals needed to come up with a victory.

The flow of the game was simply back and forth. Neither squad could truly break out against the other. It was contrasting styles of play, and perhaps that would be why it was such a close game.

The issue for Duke, that would have been Miami's team speed and overall athleticism. Loose balls went in favor of the Canes more often than not. Duke dominated the boards, however, winning that battle 36-24. That was a major reason for the Devils coming out victorious. 

It was a fun game to watch throughout the contest.

Just when it looked like Duke would have its way with Miami, the Hurricanes went on a 9-0 run to go up 17-14, finalized by Wong driving to the hoop and getting a bucket in traffic.

That was how Miami kept up with Duke for most of the game, i.e. second chance points, fast break scores, and excellent one-on-one plays with tough shots going down.

As the first half went on, it was an offensive affair. A big lift off the bench for the Canes was guard Bensley Joseph. He had back-to-back excellent plays with a 3-point bucket and then a steal and layup while fending off Filipowski at the other end. 

To close out the first half, Duke's Lively had a put-back dunk that caused Larranaga to call time out. Duke was up 38-34 with 1:09 remaining. For the Hurricanes, Miller hit a tough fadeaway jumper close to the end of the half, and Duke ended up going into the locker room with a five point lead.

In #ACCTourney action, Miami has battled without its primary post player @NorchadO. The Blue Devils lead the Hurricanes 41-36 at halftime.

For the Canes, Jordan Miller has 9, while Isaiah Wong and Bensley Joseph both produced 8 points.#TheU

— All Hurricanes (@AllHurricanes) March 11, 2023

As the second half got going, Miami's ability to get out and run was key to keeping itself in the game. Wooga Poplar connected on a left wing 3-point shot on the semi-fast break. It was an example of how the Canes combated the much bigger Blue Devils.

Speaking of making plays against bigger players, Wong stole a pass and drove the length of the court and scored over Filipowski. A truly remarkable all-around play that closed the gap to Duke leading 52-50 with 14:34 to play.

Even without Omier, Miami played a great game. The Canes should be proud. It was a tremendous effort without a player that averages a double-double.

As for the NCAA Tournament, Miami is expected to be a #4 seed, perhaps a #5, depending on how other conference tournaments play out.

---

AllHurricanes.com is your home for all things Miami Hurricanes football, recruiting, basketball and other athletics, all the time. Follow along on social media at @AllHurricanes on Twitter and All Hurricanes on Facebook for round-the-clock news and analysis.