UM happy to have Matt Cleveland on its side this year as Hurricanes face FSU Wednesday
The last time the University of Miami men’s basketball team played FSU, the Hurricanes were ranked No. 13 in the nation, riding a seven-game win streak and had their hearts broken by Matt Cleveland, who was wearing a Seminoles uniform back then.
He sank a three-pointer at the buzzer to beat UM 85-84 in front of a stunned sellout Watsco Center crowd. It was Feb. 25, 2023, and it was a nightmare of a game for the Hurricanes, who led by 25 in the second half before unraveling.
This season, as UM prepares to face the Seminoles at home Wednesday night (7 p.m., ACC Network), the Hurricanes are fortunate to have Cleveland on their side.
The versatile guard transferred to Miami last May, made a seamless transition to his new team and is the Hurricanes’ second-leading scorer and rebounder with 16.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. He is coming off a team-high 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting in a road win against Virginia Tech and has surpassed 20 points in three of the past four games.
Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga said he has not asked Cleveland for any tips on how to beat FSU.
“We wouldn’t even talk to Matt about that because there’s enough pressure on a young man like him playing against his former team,” Larranaga said. “I just want him to relax and enjoy playing with his Miami teammates. I don’t want him to get into the idea that he was once a Florida State player. That’s more of a distraction to him. He’s playing and practicing so well, I was him to stay focused on our gameplan.”
Cleveland has said one of his primary objectives since arriving in Miami was improving his efficiency. So far, mission accomplished.
His shooting has improved from 44.5 percent to 56 percent, and he has shot better than 60 percent from the field seven times this season. He shot 70 percent or better three times. His three-point shooting went up from 35 percent to 45.5 percent and his free throw shooting rose from 69 percent to 77.6 percent.
“Early in September, I showed him a text I got from his dad saying he thought the key for Matt was just to become more efficient,” Larranaga recalled. “So, Matt and I had a discussion about that, and the next day he was the most efficient player you’ve ever seen. And he kept doing that, and I was like, `Man, I wish it was all that easy, to just tell someone, `Hey, you need to be more efficient,’ and he has. His efficiency numbers are incredibly good.”
FSU coach Leonard Hamilton, who coached at Miami from 1990 to 2000, would not talk about the circumstances of the transfer, only to say he was glad to see Cleveland succeeding.
“He’s fit in very well with the system they have,” Hamilton said. “He’s a high energy guy, shooting the ball fairly well from the perimeter and he’s a guy who does a lot of the dirty work. He plays both sides of the ball. He definitely has made major contributions to their program.”
Hamilton said he tries not to get sentimental when he returns to UM. He doesn’t have meals with friends, and doesn’t visit relatives, although he said he would spend some time with his son, who still lives in Miami. But he is encouraged to see how far the Miami program has come.
“I’m proud of the fact that the program has grown and grown each year,” he said. “Coach [Larranaga] has done a tremendous job in sustaining, and taking to new heights, what we tried to establish many years ago. I get excited when I see the crowd, how passionate the fans are. It’s good to see we had some little part in trying to establish what I think is one of the top programs in the ACC. I take my hat off to the fans and the administration for giving them that type of support.”
The Hurricanes (12-4, 3-2 ACC) face a tall task – literally – against an FSU team with only one starter under 6-7. Miami, by contrast, has three, including Nijel Pack (6-0) and Bensley Joseph (6-2).
Florida State (10-6, 4-1 ACC) has won four straight and six of its last seven after a 4-5 start.
“I think Leonard Hamilton’s team is playing very, very well right now,” Larranaga said. “They’ve been very, very impressive against mutual opponents. They beat Colorado, they beat Wake Forest. We lost to both of them. They are very long, very athletic. They’ve got Darin Green Jr., who’s a tremendous shooter, and then [Jamir] Watkins is just a great all-around player. Their big guys are very good in and around the basket and they play a unique style of defense. They’re constantly switching and denying and that’s different than our recent games.”
UM power forward Norchad Omier will once again shoulder the bulk of the inside play. He has stayed out of foul trouble and averaged 36 minutes the past four games, but his stats dipped a bit the last two games after averaging double-doubles (22.6 points, 10.3 rebounds) the previous five.
“Norchad, despite his incredible level of play, he’s not going to be 100 percent every game,” Larranaga said. “We wear him out. He’s working so hard. This past week and weekend, I think he was a little bit out of sync. I’m sure he’ll bounce back this week and have a great week.”