I just got back from the Bank United Center where another sparse crowd saw the Hurricanes crush a non-league opponent. This time the victim was North Carolina A&T who earlier in the season defeated DePaul in Chicago. While Miami is now 12-0 some warning signs to exist and will need to be corrected for this team to real its full potential. Every team in College Basketball is flawed in some way: I'd argue the past three national champions were flawed in very obvious ways, but they still managed to put together six game winning streaks when they had to in the NCAA Tournament.
A big part of College Basketball is having a great home court advantage. Miami's students have come up with all sorts of clever chants and show the passion other ACC fans do. However, outside the student section the arena atmosphere is lame, once again owing itself to the fact that South Floridians just don't get College Basketball. This is a pro sports town where the average fan who buys a ticket wants to sit the entire game, buy some food for his or her kid and not be bothered. I sit in section 107 where I have sat since the Arena opened and only for the real big games: vs Duke, vs North Carolina, a game against Maryland in 2005 has the section resembled a college arena. Otherwise it feels like a half empty NBA arena with some crazies (the students) sitting on the other end. For Miami to reach its full potential not only do certain individuals on the team have to improve themselves, but the crowd beyond the students has to become more ACC-like.
Now some thoughts about the game:
- Ray Hicks had his best game since his sophomore year. He used his athleticism and strength inside to really control the flow of play.
- James Dews has expanded his game greatly this year to include some ball handling and an ability to put the ball on the floor and drive to the hoop. Today was another example.
- Jack McClinton continues to develop his all around game and can still shoot lights out.
- Anthony King seems to be lapsing in and out of games, falling asleep at times and on the whole not being terribly influential in the game. This trend started two weeks ago against FIU and has continued for five games now.
- Eddie Rios ball handling is getting worse and worse. He's only a freshman but we all expected so much more from him.
- Lance Hurdle's all around game is improving. He still makes mistakes but is clearly ahead of Rios in the guard pecking order at this point in time.
- Miami should be ranked somewhere between #20 and #22 this week in both polls. Clemson's loss to Ole Miss and Gonzaga's loss to Oklahoma will drop them both, but perhaps neither will fall behind the Canes. In addition, Ole Miss should be ranked and jet ahead of Miami if some pollsters are overally impressed with their play this past week.
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6 comments:
I agree on Rios, but these struggles in the long run are going to make him better. They will give him something to think about for the next season as he should start to play more of an important role as he gets older.
He is at where alot of our players have been Dews Asbury, just needed to turn that corner to translate his game. I'm not concerned at all with his shooting its tougher to shoot when u first start play D1 ball especially if conditioning hasn't been a main focus for u. I just wanna see him be a smart player this year the rest of his game will follow.
Charlie Strong needs to stay put where he is. KJ - Remind him of the fact he is a Gator and always should remain so. PLEASE! I want someone other than Strong as our new DC. Someone a little more aggressive overall. I'm not saying Strong isn't good, just not for the U.
I agree WHO, if we can't get 5000 people to show up to fill the joint every, I mean EVERY game then we have nobody to blame if he bolts for a program with more basketball love.
We have a legit shot at having 16-17 wins before we play UNC and i really think we should finish in the top 5 of the conference and make the tourney at this point.
We are playing well, and as another mentioned, blowing out teams we should be blowing out (not playing to the level of our opponent which has killed us in the past).
Gtech lost to VCU(we beat them)
Boston College lost to Providence (beat them too)
NC State lost to some mediocre teams.
We should beat Winthrop and Penn too (as long as we don't come out flat).
All in we could be 17-0.
Only potential losses are likely Duke, UNC and Clemson (5 games in total but maybe we sneak in an upset or two).
Virginia and Wake should give us a strong test but if we keep playing this way we can beat them (not saying we will but we have the talent to beat them).
All in, 18 games left we should have well over 20 wins going into ACC tourney, win 2 games in the tourney and we are a lock for an upper tier seed in the dance.
Yes, Haith will be the darling of the hoops world and we will have to work hard to keeep him. The easiest way???
GET YOUR A$$ES IN THE SEATS!!!!
Makes recruting easier, makes his job fun and makes him feel loved.
If he feels like he is constantly fighting our fan base then he should leave and I would congratulate him if he did if we end up the year like we should.
TIME TO MAN UP AND SHOW SUPPORT
Everyone on this board should tell every cane fan non-subscriber to get to the BU Center for at least one game and we can make this happen folks
Not like the Heat are any better show this year.
GO CANES!!!
Hicks supposedly is the strongest Cane but his height disadvantage at 6'6'' going up against the big bulls in the ACC is going to limit his PT.
I say he's a 5 to 8 minute guy max in the conference season.
Its a horrible sports market in general KK, the worst fair weather fans in the country, always have always will, that is why it would be tough to keep us in the top 25 in hoops, no rumps in the seats = no support.
Its absolutely embarrassing that we cant fill an 8000 seat arena every game. Everyone who owns season tickets that cant get to a game should give them to a local high school coach who will make sure butts are in the seats. No reason to eat the ticket folks, give it to a charity, youth group etc... We need fans in person not by proxy.
We have all the ingredients KK I totally agree except for the apathetic fan base. I hope I am proved wrong once conference play comes around.
We can be a very competitive 3 sport school, there is no reason why we can't. Hell if ARod can give us millions (he didnt even go to the U) then we should be able to tap our wealthy alumni base for more $$. Need someone creative in the Hurricane Club to come in and kick it up a few notches. Ron Fraser used to pack Mark Light with his marketing gimmicks, the current admin needs to pick his brain for ideas or make him AD and let him do it himself (has anyone talked to him about the opening???).
Its very do-able folks we all have to spread the word.
The game vs Georgia Tech is already sold out. UNC will sell out also this week.
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