The Hurricanes men’s and women’s teams in action Friday. Here’s what you need to know
The postseason begins Friday morning for the 16th-ranked University of Miami women’s basketball team and the regular season ends Friday evening for the UM men.
After the third double-bye in program history, the Hurricanes play in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament quarterfinal at 11 a.m. Friday against No. 18 Syracuse at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, N.C. The game is on Fox Sports Florida. Miami is coming off a heartbreaking 70-68 road loss at then-No. 10 North Carolina State.
UM coach Katie Meier demanded that her players not lose any confidence over the loss to the Wolfpack.
“I told my team to close their eyes and imagine we won this because we’re not losing any confidence by our performance [Sunday],” Meier said. “We will not. We will go into the ACC Tournament feeling like we’re one of the hottest teams in the country because we are.”
The Hurricanes beat six Top 25 teams during the regular season and are the No. 4 seed in the ACC Tournament. They are led by All-ACC First Team members Emese Hof, who scored 24 points against N.C. State, and Beatrice Mompremier, who had her 23rd double double with 15 points and 17 rebounds. Laura Cornelius added 13.
Miami beat Syracuse 84-71 on Jan. 23. Tiana Mangakahia, a two-time All-ACC First Team selection, leads the Orange with 16.5 points and 8.4 assists per game. The winner of Friday’s game advances to the Saturday semifinal at noon.
The UM men (13-16, 5-12 ACC) conclude the regular season at 7 p.m. with a tough test at No. 15 Virginia Tech (22-7, 11-6). The Canes beat Pitt 76-63 on Senior Night Tuesday, as Anthony Lawrence scored a career-high 27 points and Ebuka Izundu had 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Hokies, who are 13-2 at home, are coming off a 73-64 overtime loss at No. 14 Florida State. They beat UM 82-70 on Jan. 30. Friday’s game is on ESPN2.
This story was originally published March 7, 2019 at 4:02 PM.