 |
| It was just out of reach for Miami (Photo Credit: Getty Images) |
Written By: Nathan Skinner (@Canedude08)
Canes Rising Contributor
Miami had an opportunity to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament, but couldn't overcome a sluggish start, losing to Notre Dame by the score of 70 to 63. While the 'Canes are technically still on the bubble, Miami most likely won't hear their name called on Selection Sunday. The 'Canes have a convincing argument, but there's too many teams ahead of them in the pecking order. The second half of this ACC Tournament quarterfinal featured a valiant comeback, but Notre Dame held off the hard charging 'Canes.
Quick Shots
Defense Optional--In the first half, Notre Dame was able to rip the 'Canes apart with outstanding ball movement and great shooting. It also helped that Miami didn't bother to do anything defensively. This wasn't a case of Coach L not changing defenses, he tried a variety of looks, but it didn't matter as long as the players didn't try. In the first half, Miami looked like a team that was ready for the offseason, that all changed in the second half. The 'Canes looked like a totally different team, a team that desperately wanted to be in the big dance. They shut the Irish down, forcing bad shot after bad shot. Notre Dame went from being on fire, to ice cold seemingly within seconds of the second half starting. That was more the result of Miami forcing the action, than a team not shooting well. Going to a matchup zone was a great move, and the players responded to the change.
Angel Rodriguez--He's been great, he's been awful, but Angel Rodriguez is never boring. Against Notre Dame, Rodriguez put together an outstanding performance, scoring a team high fifteen points. He made some mistakes but he was fearless all night, slashing to the basket with reckless abandon. Whether anyone likes it or not, Angel is a big part of this team, and his trials and tribulations have been front and center this season. We can only hope that he continues to improve and that he can become a consistent player. The tools are there, the desire is there, it just needs to be harnessed.
Insufficient Funds--The money ball wasn't there for the 'Canes, as they shot 25% from beyond the arc. In the first half, Miami had a ton of open looks, but were unable to connect. Adding insult to injury, a lot of the misses resulted in fast breaks for Notre Dame, who then took open threes in transition. The inability to make shots put Miami in a deep hole, a hole that proved to be too deep. This team has been maddeningly inconsistent from the perimeter, and tonight was no exception. The difference between this team going to the NCAAs, and going to the NIT is consistency. Miami isn't good enough on the perimeter to stretch defenses on a consistent basis.
Struggling Swingmen--Davon Reed and Sheldon McClellan are two athletic tweeners who can make things happen on the perimeter and in the lane. Nothing happened against Notre Dame as both players struggled, combining for only sixteen points, on 5/19 shooting. Sheldon has been a good decision maker all season, but he fell in love with the contested shot, jacking up awful shots all night. Notre Dame challenged McClellan, and he wasn't up to the challenge for one of the few times this season. Davon wasn't much better, he didn't come anywhere near his 50% clip from deep. What was truly frustrating was the fact that neither player could finish around the rim. Davon had multiple opportunities to score off of offensive rebounds, but was unable to do so. A lot of his best chances came during winning time, when the 'Canes were about to take control of the game. So many missed chances, chances that if taken advantage of, could have turned this game.
Posts
