Here’s what you need to know as red-hot UM heads into Saturday road game at No. 2 Duke.
Jordan Miller has dreamed about playing in front of Duke’s Cameron Crazies since he was a kid shooting hoops with his three older brothers on the courts at Banneker Elementary School in Middleburg, Virginia.
Saturday he will see what it’s really like as the Atlantic Coast Conference-leading Miami Hurricanes, winners of eight in a row, take on No. 2 Duke at 8 p.m.
UM enters the game undefeated in the conference with wins against Clemson, NC State, Wake Forest and Syracuse. The Canes (12-3 overall, 4-0 in the ACC) trailed Syracuse 44-30 at halftime Wednesday but scored 58 points in the second half to pull out an 88-87 victory.
While that was a huge test, facing the Blue Devils at storied Cameron Indoor Stadium is more daunting.
Duke (12-1, 2-0 ACC) and its loaded roster features freshman Paolo Banchero, a 6-10 and 250-pound projected NBA lottery pick who is averaging 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds. Junior forward Wendell Moore Jr., another potential All-American, is averaging 16.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski is retiring after 42 years, so his team has extra motivation in his final season.
“Being able to play in those gyms, play against the well-known coaches is something I took into consideration before I chose UM,” said Miller, who transferred from George Mason last summer and has been one of the Hurricanes’ biggest surprises. “This is what college basketball is about. It’s exciting. New experiences. I’m excited to play these top-notch teams.
“I expect the fans to be going crazy, they’re known for the Cameron Crazies, I expect a great game and great atmosphere.”
Miami is 8-22 all-time against Duke, including 2-11 on the road and 6-7 under 11th-year head coach Jim Larrañaga.
“Everybody knows you play Duke at home and the Cameron Crazies are there it’s going to be entirely different environment than what we’ve been playing in the past month,” Larranaga said.
Sixth-year senior Sam Waardenburg, asked how he can prepare younger teammates for a road game at Duke, said: “You can tell them about it, but they’re not going to know until they experience it, especially at Duke, those Cameron Crazies… it’s an insane environment.”
The Hurricanes’ high-tempo offense, which averaged 90 points the past three games, has gotten most production from its guards.
Kameron McGusty is averaging 18.3 points per game. Isaiah Wong is averaging 16.3 points and point guard Charlie Moore, a DePaul transfer, is averaging 12 points and four assists and scored 25 against Syracuse. Miller, a 6-7 guard/forward, had 11 points, eight rebounds and six steals against Syracuse.
Duke’s Moore said he is not surprised by Miami’s success this season.
“I know their personnel because I played against Isaiah Wong since high school and he’s been that good ever since; I’ve guarded Kam McGusty the past few years and he is really good, as well,” Moore said on a Zoom interview Thursday. “I got a chance to see Charlie Moore a couple of times, and I think he’s one of the keys to their team. He makes their team go with the energy and enthusiasm he brings.”
Moore expects a tough matchup for the Duke guard trio, which includes Trevor Keels and Jeremy Roach.
“They have three or four really good guards. We make it tough for opposing teams because I don’t think other teams have three guards like we do who can switch all three of those positions,” Moore said. “It’s definitely going to be a huge matchup for us. We’ve got to come in locked in and take their perimeter out of it.”
Miami is undersized, so it’s biggest challenge will be figuring out how to contain Banchero and 7-1 center Mark Williams.
“Basketball’s all about making opposing players uncomfortable and making them take shots they are least comfortable with,” Miller said. “The series of wins we got make us really confident going into this game. This is a big a game that can open up a lot of eyes for not only ACC fans but the rest of the nation to see that we’re serious.”
This story was originally published January 7, 2022 at 3:13 PM.