UM has lost 11 of its past 12 games against FSU heading into Saturday season finale
The University of Miami men’s basketball team, which has lost eight games in a row, finishes its regular season on the road Saturday afternoon against Florida State. The Hurricanes face a tall task, in every sense of the word.
FSU has beaten Miami 11 of the past 12 times the teams have faced each other, including an 84-75 win in Coral Gables in January. The only time the Hurricanes have beaten the Seminoles since 2018 was in January 2023 in Tallahassee, an 86-63 victory by the UM team that went on to reach the Final Four.
Both teams are 15-15 entering Saturday’s game (4 p.m., ESPN).
Asked about the rivalry, UM coach Jim Larranaga said:
“There hasn’t been a rivalry; they’ve handled us so often for the last five, six years that we’ve not been able to figure out the formula for beating them. We’ve beaten Clemson three times in a row, we have beaten Carolina two or three times in a row, there’s certain teams you match up with better and can play better. Florida State’s not been one of those.
“Their defense and size really bothers us. They’re very, very quick. They’re long. They’ve got like three seven-footers, or 6-11 guys that can block shots and dunk the ball on you. They’re a very hard matchup for us defensively.”
The Seminoles have six players 6-9 or taller on their roster. The Canes have two. FSU has a very deep bench and played 10 players in the first 10 minutes against UM in January. Miami has a thin bench..
If the Hurricanes can hit a few threes in a row, they are capable of going on a roll, Larranaga said, and he hopes they will do that. Nijel Pack left Wednesday’s game against Boston College with a knee injury and his status for Saturday is unknown.