Twenty-seven games into a thirty-game regular season, Miami’s showdown at Duke on Saturday will be less about Xs and Os and more about emotion.
The Hurricanes have already proven they have the skills and are arguably one of the top teams in the country. Beat the Blue Devils? Been there and done that. When ‘on’ UM is seemingly unbeatable. When ‘off’, mortal as anyone else in the land.
Confidence. A positive attitude. The ability to weather several storms throughout the course of the game. Those are the keys to a season-defining victory at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Miami embarrassed the hell out of Duke a few months back. More than the twenty-seven point beat down, it was the world-class ass-kicking on national television. The energy.
Even the mockery, with Miami slapping the floor while getting back on defense, up twenty-eight with just under seven minutes remaining.
The Canes could seemingly do no wrong that late January night. Durand Scott put up twenty-five. Kenny Kadji was 9-of-11 with twenty-two. Shane Larkin put up eighteen points and hauled in ten rebounds, while dishing out five assists.
Four Canes scored in the double-digits, the crowd was electric and everything that could go right, did, but rest assured Miami cannot bank on that aura, vibe, mojo or whatever for the rematch in Durham.
While Duke has lost two of their last four, this is still a well-coached, proud Blue Devils program. Come Saturday, they will be ready and both these players and a rabid fan base will be look to give Miami a dose of its own medicine.
Duke at the BankUnited Center on a Wednesday night is one thing. Facing the Blue Devils on their home court is another and while the Canes did win in Durham last season, it wasn’t on the heels of a brutal beat-down much like the one Duke experienced in Coral Gables this year.
Make no mistake about it; the Blue Devils have had this one circled on the calendar for six weeks now. Once 90-63 went in the books and number twenty-five beat number one, this rematch became Duke’s game of the year.
Because of all this, Miami knows what it’s in for and simply much plan and adjust accordingly.
Recent slumps against Clemson, Virginia and Wake Forest proved that Miami is far from invincible.
The Canes can get cold with their shooting, especially beyond-the-arc, and while remaining resilient in close wins over the Tigers and Cavaliers, the loss to the Demon Deacons showed what can happen isn’t clicking on all cylinders, while the opponent is.
In Winston-Salem, Wake Forest had a .542 field-goal percentage to Miami’s .391 and the Demon Deacons were .583 from three-point range while the Canes were 8-of-21 on their way to shooting .381 for the day.
Miami looks to have gotten some of it’s, for lack of a better term, ‘swag’ back against Virginia Tech on Wednesday night, upending the Hokies, 76-58 in a game that was never really close.
While the Canes dominated the on the scoreboard, they were still 8-of-21 from three-point range (.381 percent) and didn’t get much production from the bench, or staters Rion Brown and Julian Gamble.
Larkin bounced back strong with twenty-two points and six assists, while Kadji got his twenty points and six rebounds, but this also was a 12-15 Virginia Tech squad with a 3-11 conference record. Miami should’ve had a game like this in its sleep.
Saturday is season-defining for both Miami and Duke. For the Blue Devils, it would set the tone going into the ACC Tournament and would help erase the frustration of recent losses to Virginia and Maryland.
One would have to think it’d be a big psychological boost for Duke, while a loss might shatter some already rattled Miami confidence. The Canes haven’t truly played a “great” game since dominating the Tar Heels in a twenty-six point win on February 9th at The BUC. A win at Cameron Indoor? Could be just what the doctor ordered for Miami with two home games next week – Georgia Tech and Clemson – to close out the regular season.
Calling this a must-win situation for a 23-4 team sitting a top the ACC standings with a comfortable lead – it may sound a bit much, but if the goal this season is a deep NCAA Tournament run, a Final Four berth, or dare to dream, a national championship, Miami absolutely needs to win this game.
Championship-caliber teams don’t lose a game like this. Money on the table. A chance to put an exclamation point on the regular season and ride into the conference tourney on a high note. The chance to solidify a number-one seed when Bracketology is in full-force a few weeks from now.
This is a moment where great teams shine. Where guys find another gear and tap into something incredible which keeps the journey on a roll.
Duke has faced many a moment like this as a program. Miami, not so much. Critics and pundits are picking the Blue Devils and while Vegas odds are yet to be released, one would believe the bookies will side with the Dukies, too.
Proud program looking for revenge after coming off a road loss and having dropped two-of-four. Home game against a program that uncharacteristically thumped you last time you played.
It’s akin to the Hurricanes on the football field, when dominant, shining in a retaliation moment, a la the 65-7 thrashing of Washington in 2001 after falling in Seattle the previous year.
That’s the attitude Duke players, coaches and fans will take into Saturday’s game, but that doesn’t ensure victory.
Miami has proven it’s the better team this year and if all the parts of this machine work as they have the majority of the season, the Canes could experience another special milestone in this Cinderella-esque season. If not, UM might leave Durham with more questions than answers.
Play hard. Have fun. Breathe.
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Soak up the moment without letting it overwhelm, causing panic or uptightness.
Big-game and a great-team-versus-good-team type moment on the horizon. Time for Coach L’s kids to take what’s right in front of them.
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.