Takeaways From Miami's Wins At The Baha Mar Hoops Tournament

AllHurricanes' Liam Willerup Dives Into What To Make Of Miami's Undefeated Trip To The Bahamas

Miami capped off a successful trip to the Bahamas by taking down the Kansas State Wildcats and winning the Baha Mar Hoops Tournament. Nijel Pack walked away with tournament MVP honors and Wooga Poplar made the All-Tournament Team.

Now at 5-0 and the upcoming week off, Miami's next matchup will be their biggest test yet as they'll head up to Lexington, Kentucky to face the Kentucky Wildcats. With that being said, what has Miami shown through five games but more importantly these last two?

Here's my breakdown:

Miami Is A Tough Team To Hang With When They're Hitting Outside Shots

Heading into the tournament I was persistent that Pack needed to take this time to get back into his groove. As one of the best shooters in the country, he hadn't shown that during the first three games. However, he made up for it this weekend.

While Miami didn't make more threes than the Bulldogs, neither team was shooting efficient enough for it to make a difference in the game. Against the Wildcats, the Hurricanes shot the lights out of the ball en route to a win.

Now with Norchad Omier being able to step out and hit an outside shot, Miami can truly play five-out basketball like Jim Larrañaga did a few years ago with Sam Waardenburg. Given Omier can also bang down low with typical bigs, it gives Miami a lot of ways to attack teams that are taller.

Miami's Depth Still Needs To Come Along Before It Costs Them Some Games

I mentioned this in my previous article, but the depth for Miami still has a long way to go before they reach championship level. Kyshawn George was Miami's top bench player against the Wildcats, putting up five points and five rebounds. 

While it is a step in the right direction, Miami's bench production needs to step it up. Losing Bensley Joseph to the starting lineup was a major blow, as nobody on the current bench was seeing significant minutes last season.

I'll keep reiterating it, but look for AJ Casey or Christian Watson to be guys that step up as the vets of that unit.

Rebounding Remains An Issue That Needs To Be Sorted Out First And Foremost

Looking ahead to their matchup against Kentucky, the Wildcats have just a slight edge over Miami on the glass but Miami does have the best rebounder between the two. However, it won't always be like that for Miami.

The Final Four game against UConn showed Miami that they need to not get dominated on the glass if they want to compete. The Hurricanes don't necessarily need to dominate, as more importantly they need to keep it close one way or another.

Kansas State did have 14 offensive rebounds to Miami's five, so the defensive glass needs to be addressed more importantly. However the conflict comes when how will focusing on rebounding more affect Miami's high-tempo offense.

It's a balance that I trust coach Larrañaga to find, but needs to be worked out before ACC play. Especially in a big game on the road at Kentucky, the rebounding differential could end up being the main point in how this game goes down.

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