Podcast: Mario Cristobal’s staff is coming together. And Miami basketball is good!
The college football offseason is just about here and so college basketball season is ready to kick into high gear.
For the Miami Hurricanes, there’s no shortage of reasons to pay attention to either. Mario Cristobal’s Miami staff is coming together, the transfer portal is humming and Jim Larranaga’s Hurricanes are rolling as the heart of Atlantic Coast Conference play is underway.
It’s a two-part episode this week on the Eye on the U podcast. First, David Wilson and Susan Miller Degnan, the Miami Herald’s Hurricanes beat writer, run through all the football news around Coral Gables and there’s plenty of it this week. In the second half of the show, Michelle Kaufman, the Miami Herald’s Hurricanes basketball writer, joins Wilson to break down Miami’s eight-game winning streak, its NCAA Tournament chances and the upcoming game against the No. 2 Duke Blue Devils.
In football news, defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera hit the transfer portal Tuesday, while Cristobal has finally officially hired a new wide receivers coach, offensive line coach, and strength and conditioning coach. The Silvera news is somewhat surprising -- he was a three-year starter -- although it might tell us some good things about the progress of rising star defensive tackle Leonard Taylor.
Cristobal’s hires are not. New wide receivers coach Brian McClendon, new offensive line coach Alex Mirabal, and new strength and conditioning coach Aaron Feld all worked for Cristobal with the Oregon Ducks, and they should make the new coach’s transition to South Florida a little bit easier.
On the hardwood, the Hurricanes are really on a roll, ripping off eight straight wins and getting off to a 4-0 start to ACC play while averaging more than 75 points per game. They have a top-25 offense, according to KenPom.com, and now have a chance for a signature win Saturday when they travel to Durham, North Carolina. No matter how Miami’s meeting with Duke goes, it’s not too early to start thinking about the Tournament for the Hurricanes. They have a real shot in a wide-open league.
As always, thanks for listening and please continue to rate, review and subscribe on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
