UM still unranked despite Duke upset, nine-game win streak. Next up: FSU on the road
Beating No. 2 Duke on the road, winning nine games in a row and leading the ACC with a 5-0 league record was not enough to land the University of Miami men’s basketball team in the Top 25.
The Hurricanes (13-3) got votes for the first time this season on Monday but did not crack the AP or Coaches poll. Miami finished third among “also receiving votes” (28th overall) in the AP poll. They were 26th in the Coaches poll.
Duke, meanwhile, slipped to No. 8 and was the only ACC school in the Top 25.
Miami aims to keep its win streak alive and build a case for a ranking as it heads into a road game Tuesday at Florida State (8 p.m., ACC Network). The Seminoles (8-5, 2-2 ACC) are coming off a win over Louisville.
FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, who coached at UM from 1990 to 2000, had high praise for the Hurricanes and their coach Jim Larranaga. He said Miami’s trio of guards Charlie Moore, Kameron McGusty and Isaiah Wong pose a unique challenge.
Moore averaged 21.5 points in wins over Duke and Syracuse in the past week, and had seven steals at Duke, second most ever by a visiting player at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Against Syracuse he had 25 points, six assists, five rebounds, a steal and a block.
McGusty was named ACC Player of the Week last week after averaging 17.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, and four assists in wins over NC State and Wake Forest. Wong scored 25 points against Wake Forest.
“They have really, really carved out a system that gives them the chance to consistently play to their strengths,” Hamilton said on a Zoom interview Monday. “They’re great creators off the bounce. They are extremely confident. They make tough shots. They create for each other. They are very skilled and they have what we call a wiggle. Some guys are catch-and-shoot guys. Some guys are straight-line drivers. These guys can change directions, finish with either hand, and you can’t back off them because they’ve proven they can knock down looks.”
UM can also defend. The Canes had 15 steals against the Blue Devils and forced them into a season-high 17 turnovers. It was Miami’s seventh win against Duke during coach Jim Larranaga’s 11-year tenure, and the third at Cameron.
“They have a veteran team, all of them can shoot, they share the ball, they’re very difficult to defend,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
Hamilton has been very impressed with Moore, a sixth-year senior who transferred to UM from DePaul last summer and had previous stints at Kansas and Cal.
“Charlie is a point guard and is also a points guard,” Hamilton said. “Not only does he have the ability to create for his teammates, when he walks across half court he’s open and he has unbelievable range. He has courage and toughness you learn playing on the playgrounds in Chicago. He’s unbelievably quick and fast. But more than anything else, he plays with a swagger. And, for a guy his size he finishes at the rim in a highly skilled fashion.”
Moore’s experience shows, Hamilton said.
“He’s been through the wars. He’s been to several different schools, different conferences, he’s not going to face anything he hasn’t already faced. And then you have [Jordan] Miller [a transfer] from George Mason he’s just hanging around hitting jumpers. They’re a team that has all the makings of a team that can do something really, really big in the postseason.”
Both Hamilton and Krzyzewski credited Larranaga for UM’s turnaround. Last season the injury-plagued Canes finished 10-17 overall and 4-15 in the ACC. They were picked 12th in the 2021 preseason ACC poll.
“Jim’s one of the outstanding coaches in the history of our game, one of the winningest coaches and he’s done a great job at Miami,” Krzyzewski said. “No team that I can remember has been devastated with injuries as much as his team was last year. For him to keep those kids coming back, especially Wong and McGusty and [Sam] Waardenburg — it shows those kids trust him and believe in him. And he’s been able to complement them with two outstanding transfers in Moore and Miller.
“As long as Jim wants to coach, they’d be smart to keep him there. Hell, he might win the league. That’s going to be an NCAA Tournament team and he’ll be a tough out for whoever’s playing them. They have one of the better teams.”
Hamilton added: “You have to take hat off to Coach Larranaga because he’s created a system that fits the talent he has and they’re going to be a handful for anybody.”
Larranaga has been around long enough to know not to get too excited in early January.
“Certainly, beating the number-two-ranked team in the country is a terrific accomplishment, but we have to constantly remind ourselves that the ACC is a marathon and not a sprint,” Larrañaga said. “We have 15 games to go. You’ve got to be very, very careful you don’t dwell on the past. We’ve got to get ready for Florida State. They have four guys over 7 feet. We’re not a big team; they’re gigantic. So, we’ve got to prepare for them. Duke is over.”