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| It was a rough night for Jim Larranaga(Photo Credit: USA Today) |
Written By: Nathan Skinner (@Canedude08)
Canes Rising Contributor
If you had to pick one word to describe the 2014 'Canes, it would be INCONSISTENCY. The same team that crushed Duke at Cameron Indoor, beat Syracuse at the Carrier Dome lost to Georgia Tech Wednesday night. The same Georgia Tech that only scored twenty - eight points against Virginia, the same team that hadn't won an ACC game all season. Yes, that Georgia Tech came into the BankUnited Center and dominated the 23rd ranked 'Canes. This loss is a major setback for a team struggling to move off of the NCAA selection bubble.
Quick Shots
1. The struggle is real--While tonight's loss was a team effort, one effort(or lack thereof) stood out, and it wasn't a good look. In his post game remarks, Jim Larranaga could only shake his head when asked about struggling point guard Angel Rodriguez. Angel didn't lose this game by himself, but he didn't do much to help the team win. Scorers have bad games, this was worse than a scorer having a lid on the basket. Rodriguez turned the ball over at will, made horrible decisions, and was a non factor on the defensively. Miami can't win if Rodriguez isn't on the stat sheet, and that's exactly what happened Wednesday. Larranaga remarked that he thought Rodriguez was ready, apparently he was dead wrong.
2. Where's the "D"--Georgia Tech is one of the worst offensive teams in the country. The Yellow Jackets are ranked 288th in the country in field goal percentage, 276th in points per game, and 264th in assists per game. Those stats didn't mean much, as they had a field day with Miami's defense. Brian Gregory's team shot an outstanding 56.8% from the field. They did most of their damage from inside, as they only connected on two shots from beyond the arc. This wasn't a case of Jim Larranaga not putting the team in position to win, Georgia Tech couldn't buy a bucket once the 'Canes went to a 2-3 zone. The problem was that thanks to Miami's live ball turnovers, the Yellow Jackets could score in transition, and even the worst offensive team ever isn't going to miss layups and dunks. The effort tonight was beyond abysmal, and is a common thread in Miami's losses. It's a troubling sign, and has to be corrected, because this team isn't good enough to play mediocre defense, and get away with it.
3. Home Sweet Hell--What, beyond horrible defensive effort is a common thread in all of Miami's bad losses? All of the losses took place inside the friendly confines of the BankUnited Center. This team has a lot of young players, players who should be better at home. Those players aren't, they are significantly worse when on their home floor. Why? Could it be that the BUC rarely has energy? Could it be that opponents know that the crowd is a late arriving, early departing one, and enters the game relaxed as a result? Whatever the reason may be, something is amiss. That said, fans and venues don't win games, players do. A fan can't make plays for Angel Rodriguez, a fan can't make defensive stops.
4. Feed the Big Fella--Tonye Jekiri has arrived, and it is time he saw increased touches. The big man was one rebound away from another double-double Wednesday, which he may have gotten had he played more than twenty eight minutes. Tonye had some impressive low post scoring plays tonight, and in a rare occurence, was also calling for the ball. The junior center has emerged as the most consistent player on the team, and he should be allowed to do more than score on broken plays, and rebounds. Miami's offense has become stagnant far too often, Jekiri has shown the ability to get high percentage shots in the post.
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