The past two weeks didn’t go as Miami and Jim Larranaga necessarily drew it up, but in the end, the desired result was achieved and a goal accomplished; the Hurricanes are ACC Champions.
Miami thumped Clemson on Saturday afternoon, 62-49, giving UM the conference title outright – something it’d have shared with Duke if the Canes fell in the season finale.
Prior to exhaling after beating Clemson and winning the conference, it’d been a rough two weeks for The U.
The fourteen-game win-streak game to a halt when Wake Forest thumped Miami, 80-65, in Winston-Salem, handing UM it’s first loss since Christmas Day and first in in the ACC since last season.
Miami responded with a 76-58 beat down of Virginia Tech at The BUC, but lost a heartbreaker at Duke days later, falling 79-76 after two three-point, game-tying attempts fell short in the final seconds.
Still, the Canes hung tough with the Blue Devils and there was reason for optimism with two home games remaining against lower-level conference foes … and the Georgia Tech happened.
In hindsight, the loss to the Yellow Jackets might’ve been a good thing, but in the moment it was gut-wrenching and put Miami in a do-or-die situation for the outright ACC title with Clemson looming, opposed to in the driver’s seat, where it’d been the latter half of the season, having blown back-to-back shots at earning the conference title.
All season defense has been the name of the game for Miami, but against Georgia Tech, a colossal meltdown as UM got flat-out lazy when leading by thirteen early in the second half. The Yellow Jackets.
Shoddy defense and lethargy put The U in position to give up a last second tip-in for the loss – the antithesis of a game-winning tip-in months back at North Carolina State, where Miami scrapped, fought and clawed their way to a hard-fought victory.
The loss to Georgia Tech allowed Coach Larranaga to re-emphasize defensive tenacity – something his kids already realized before the second-year Miami coach drove the point home.
Defense got the Hurricanes this far and it will take a new ferocity for UM to roll heads in Greensboro, as well as the NCAA Tournament, which is also around the corner.
In this current sports culture, it’s become too easy to dispose of what just happened, already setting sights on the next challenge. Because of this, fans of The U must take a moment to reflect on what Miami has accomplished this season on the hardwood.
This 24-6 record is truly unprecedented. Leonard Hamilton had some quality squads between 1998 and 2000, but not that truly had the potential of this veteran-heavy team and none that won a conference as strong as the ACC is overall.
Miami reached the Sweet Sixteen in that 1999-2000 season, a six-seed that beat eleven-seed Arkansas and three-seed Ohio State before falling to seven-seed Tulsa.
What seemed like the beginning of something beautiful in Coral Gables, quickly came to a halt. Hamilton left for the NBA and Miami endured four seasons under Perry Clark, going to the NIT year one, getting smoked in the NCAA year two (falling to twelve-seed Missouri as a five-seed) and not sniffing the post-season the ensuing two seasons.
Frank Haith got Miami to the NIT his first two seasons and after failing to reach the post-season year three, got his Hurricanes to the NCAA Tourney – 2008 being UM’s last Big Dance appearance.
Miami topped Saint Mary’s in round one, but fell to two-seed Texas in the next round.
Hurricanes basketball has done little since. Haith left for Missouri with a dark cloud cast over the program until January of this year, when Miami stomped out top-ranked Duke.
Yes, the Hurricanes came into this season with high expectations, but after an early loss to Florida Gulf Coast and a late December loss to Indiana State, Miami sat at 8-3 with more questions than answer.
From there, ‘The Streak’, which turned that dismal 8-3 into 22-3, pushing the Canes to number two in the polls. The dream season was underway and in the end, a 24-6 regular season, ACC Champs and a number ten ranking going into conference tourney week.
Soak it up, U Family. Regardless of what happens in Greensboro or during March Madness, which has disposed of better teams in the matter of one afternoon. Embrace what this team has done. Tip your hat and hold your heads high. This season put the University of Miami on the map basketball-wise and it will pay off on the recruiting trail.
Miami just won the regular season ACC Championship. While many of us may have hoped for that at the beginning of the season, who would’ve truly expected it? Especially when sitting at 8-3 before entering conference play.
Celebrate this, celebrate this, celebrate this. Don’t succumb to that typical, jaded, “what’s next?” modern sports mentality or you will flat-out rob yourselves of experiencing something beautiful that just took place.
In a matter of days, or weeks, there are five key seniors who will never suit up for this program again. Reggie Johnson, Kenny Kadji, Trey McKinney-Jones, Durand Scott and Julian Gamble are all moving on – as might sophomore point guard Shane Larkin, on the heels of his dynamic season.
Calling next season a ‘rebuilding year’ might be the understatement of the decade – giving this fan base even more reason than every to love what just happened, while realizing anything delivered this post-season is pure gravy.
These Hurricanes have already exceeded our expectations and while they’ve set the bar at a national title, leave that for them as it was their pre-season goal.
For the rest of us, simply appreciate the greatness witnessed this season, revel in this ACC Championship and continue hoping for the best as this magic run comes to an end, hopefully later, rather than sooner.
Christian Bello has been covering Miami Hurricanes athletics since the mid-1990s. After spending almost a decade as a columnist for CanesTime, he launched allCanesBlog.com. – the official blog for allCanes.com : The #1 Canes Shop Since 1959. Bello has joined up with XOFan.com and will be a guest columnist at CaneInsider.com this fall. Follow him on Twitter @ChristianRBello.
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