Nijel Pack returns to Miami’s lineup, sparks Hurricanes’ comeback win over No. 16 Clemson
Nijel Pack usually doesn’t need warmup time to ignite.
After a two-game absence - that spanned two weeks - with a lower extremity injury, the University of Miami’s star junior guard was active at both ends of the floor from the game’s first possessions on Wednesday night.
And then in the second half Pack went off for 20 of his 25 points to spark the Hurricanes’ 95-82 comeback win over No. 16 Clemson at the Watsco Center.
“I might give him another two weeks off,” UM coach Jim Larrañaga joked. “It’s hard to play that way after being out for two weeks, but he felt good and I played him pretty much the whole game, which was shocking, but he was playing great.”
The Hurricanes (11-2, 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) won their fourth consecutive game and started the 2024 portion of its season on a high note with what was also their fourth consecutive win over the Tigers (11-2, 1-1).
Pack’s presence and the collective effort by Miami’s starters was enough to get the Hurricanes a little closer to the form that sparked their Final Four run last season.
“It was great. We just had to come out with a lot of energy and play hard,” said Pack, who had bags of ice wrapped around both knees after the game. “We knew what kind of team they were and I just wanted to match my teams’ intensity.”
Pack was one of three Canes players who scored 23 or more points as Matthew Cleveland finished with 23 points, four rebounds and four assists while Norchad Omier totaled 23 points and six rebounds. It was the first time during UM coach Jim Larranaga’s tenure with the Hurricanes that three players eclipsed that scoring mark in the same game and Larranaga said after the game it was the first time he had seen that done by any of his teams during his four-plus decades as a college coach.
Miami shot a staggering 75 percent from the field (21 for 28) in the second half after shooting 36.8 percent (14 of 38) in the first 20 minutes.
“It’s basically them making our philosophy a reality,” Larrañaga said. “They’re doing everything we ask them to do. We asked them to defend and rebound better and they did that. We asked them to share the ball and have more assists and fewer turnovers and they did that. We asked them to run the offense with pace and space and create openings for our shooters and our bigs and they did that. From start to finish, it was a great game.”
Miami was still not at full strength with junior guard Wooga Poplar sidelined with an ankle injury he suffered last Friday against North Florida.
After the game, Larrañaga said Poplar was limping earlier on Tuesday and wasn’t counting on him to play, but tried to give it a go on Wednesday morning, before ultimately telling him he was still in pain.
“He’s like Norchad Omier was in the ACC tournament, he sprained his ankle against Duke and was back a week later,” Larrañaga said. “Will Wooga be back on Saturday? That’s anybody’s guess...Hopefully he’s ready, but if he’s not, the guys who did it tonight will have to do it again.”
Trailing 43-35 less than a minute into the second half, Pack sparked a 23-8 Miami surge over the next five minutes and 21 seconds capped by a 11-0 run.
The Hurricanes never trailed again.
“I would just say it comes down to having faith in your teammates knowing that they put in the work every day,” Cleveland said. “Believing in the coaching staff and the play style we run that anyone at any moment can get off so we just believe in our teammates.”
Kyshawn George, Miami’s 6-7 freshman from Switzerland, made his third consecutive start with Poplar out and continued to impress.
George played 37 minutes and went 4 for 9 from 3-point range, accounting for all 12 of his points. George also had a team-high five assists. Bensley Joseph had 12 points and three steals.
Omier got into foul trouble in the first half and Clemson took advantage with a 14-3 surge that opened up a 22-16 edge.
But Pack helped Miami answer with 10 of Miami’s 12 points just before halftime.
“They have extremely good guard play,” Clemson coach Brad Brownell said. “Pack is elite with the ball as a decision maker, and as a shooter. They’ve been in a lot of big games…They have really good players when they’re comfortable and confident they’re going to be hard to guard.”
Clemson finished with five players in double figures led by Joseph Girard III’s 18 points. But Miami’s ability to attack in the paint got Tigers forward PJ Hall (17 points, six rebounds) into foul trouble as well. Hall fouled out with 2:25 left in the game.
The Canes face another opponent currently at the top of the ACC in their next game when they travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to face Wake Forest (10-3, 2-0 ACC) Saturday at 2:15 p.m. (CW Network).
Miami entered the week among teams receiving votes in the latest Associated Press poll, and a victory over the Demon Deacons could propel it back into the AP Top 25.
This story was originally published January 3, 2024 at 10:03 PM.
