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| Manu Lecomte(20) drives to the basket(Photo Credit: Fox Sports) |
Canes Rising Contributor
The NIT isn't the NCAAs, but it's where Miami ended up following an uneven season. North Carolina Central made the game interesting late, but the 'Canes had this game in hand for most of the evening, winning 75-71. Miami will now face either Alabama or Illinois in the second round of the NIT.
Quick Shots
It's Ain't Easy Being Big--Miami had a significant size advantage, and didn't take advantage. Ivan Cruz-Uceda had plenty of good opportunities, but couldn't capitalize. Uceda has to realize that he can go straight up when in the post, instead of going to unnecessary shot fakes. Tonye Jekiri had a good night, scoring eleven points, however his effort seemed a bit off. Tonye just wasn't as dominant as he should have been, considering what he has been this season. Allowing NCCU opportunities on the boards was another problem, there's no excuse for that team having any impact on the glass. Miami's bigs have to learn how to feast on weaker teams. Elite teams kill weaker teams, especially when they have an overwhelming size advantage.
1-3-1 Trouble-- When NCCU went to a 1-3-1 press midway through the first half, the game slowed to a crawl. Why? The 'Canes had no idea how to defeat the aggressive scheme. When faced with that defense, passes have to be sure, and players have to move to areas vacated by trapping players. That didn't happen as Miami turned the ball over and settled for deep jumpers. This defense kept NCCU alive, because had Miami consistently defeated this set, the game would have gotten out of hand quickly. If Miami faces 'Bama in the next round, they should expect a huge dose of the 1-3-1 until they prove that they can execute.
High Percentages--Miami shot an unbelievable 92% from the free throw line, and an impressive 50% from beyond the arc. Those are some very good numbers, and were the difference in this game. Miami turned every trip to the line into points, and practically every open three into a bucket. Manu Lecomte stood out, scoring a team high eighteen points. It looked easy for Manu, as he shot 66% from deep, and connected on ten of his eleven free throws., Manu wasn't the only 'Cane who was able to bomb away, it was open season on the basket. Had Miami been able to avoid turnovers, and paid attention to detail, this game would have been an easy 15+ point victory.
Defense?--For a team that shut down Notre Dame for most of the second half Saturday, this performance was bad to say the least. NCCU is a good team that is extremely efficient on the offensive end, but they aren't athletic outside of a couple of players. Miami allowed NCCU to score easily, by not boxing out, by not staying in front of players, and by not closing out. That's unacceptable, considering that Jim Larranaga preaches defense. If the 'Canes want to advance to Madison Square Garden, the defensive intensity has to pick up.
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