Canes Win Big: Some Random Thoughts

I thought the Canes came out sluggish tonight in the first few minutes against Florida Southern but then got a burst of energy and the game was essentially over about 10 minutes in. I really liked how Lance Hurdle ran the team and think the JUCO transfer could be a huge addition. Jack McClinton again seemed selfish and James Dews despite his scoreline hasn't really improved his mid range jump shooting or his ability to go strong to the basket. Adrian Thomas, believe it or not was the best player tonight for UM. He was able to go strong to the basket and also move well on the perimeter to find open looks and knock down threes. Defensively, I liked how active our guards were but wasn't thrilled by the lack of tough interior defense I expected from Jimmy Graham and Dwayne Collins. Fabio Nass got some first half minutes which shocked me because I was under the impression he was still hurt and wasn't going to play for a while. Nass isn't going to be a factor inside, but I liked again how active he was defensively creating a steal and also setting some good picks for the guards. I know Coach Haith likes these little things a lot which is why even though Nass is a thin big man with no coordination or shotting range, he is in the big man rotation for 3-5 minutes a night, enough to give King, or Collins and/or Graham a spell on the bench.

To me the big downer of the night was Eddie Rios. We've heard so much about this kid for several years now, but his play seemed undisciplined and uneven. The team seemed much more efficient with Hurdle running the point than Rios. The other downer was that Jonathan Stratton despite several shot opportunities couldn't nail a basket. With Rios, Landon Glover, Nass and Ray Hicks in the lineup at the end of the game everyone in the crowd was calling for Stratton and he actually got three shot attempts, while the other names I mentioned didn't take a shot after Stratton entered the game. Yet the walk on cult hero who is in his 4th season on the team still couldn't book a basket despite the loudest applause of the night when his first shot left his hands.