Taking the Good With The Bad

Since joining the ACC, the thing I wanted to see Miami do the most was to beat Duke. However, punch me if I'm not as excited as I should be after the Hurricanes blew a 20 point second half lead and was forced to gut out a win in the last seconds in a game that they only trailed once: when Duke led 5 to 2 before the first TV timeout.

Miami's potential was on full display in the first 30 minute of the game. Great inside play, good shot selection, shut down defense which forced Duke to panic and take quick shots. But Duke is a better coached team than Miami, even though Frank Haith called some unbelievable plays out of time outs, his team isn't mentally drilled and prepared the way Coach K's teams are.

Jon Scheyer was the smartest and best player on the court tonight and that showed late. Leading by 20 the Miami collapse began when Jack McClinton took a quick shot. After a missed front end of a one and one Miami turned the ball over and Duke hit a shot, then Miami couldn't inbound and Scheyer hit a quick 3. While the Hurricanes continued to take quick shots and lead waffled between 14 and 18, it seemed like Duke was about to start hitting shots and Miami appeared tired both physically and mentally. Dwayne Collins who had an otherwise great night missed a put back that could have grown the lead back to 19, and then all of sudden DaMarcus Nelson and Gerald Henderson began playing well and the officials calls became less consistent. Miami's ball handling was poor and shot selection was the worst possible under the circumstances. Duke was suddenly down only seven and Miami had to hang on. From that point on, Miami did everything right but the damage was done. Duke's three point shooters were red hot and Miami was trading two free throws on one end for a three pointer on the other end. But Miami did with one exception hit their free throws late.

Now where does that leave us?

• Frank Haith must use today's collapse as a teaching tool. Act like it was a loss and stress 40 minutes of concentration against Maryland, a team who will be desperate for a win on Saturday after losing tonight at home to Virginia Tech.
  
• This is the fourth time this season Miami has allowed a big lead to disappear in the last five minutes of a game due to bad ball handling and terrible shot selection. The Hurricanes haven't learned from the previous collapses which like tonight ended in wins. But collapsing against VCU, FIU and Alabama State isn't the same thing as Duke. They make you pay. Oh, right VCU beat Duke in the NCAAs last year, but you know what I mean!
• The officiating deserves mention. I thought the refs were excellent in the first 37 minutes, but then seemed to fall into the age old ACC pattern of assuming any close call was going Duke's way. These close calls if even one had gone the other way could have ended the game and saved us the heartache at the end.
  
• Brian Asbury was a different player tonight than he has been all ACC season. Taking the ball into the lane, playing shut down defense and shooting the ball with confidence.
• Lance Hurdle is the most reliable player right now in Miami's back court. As crazy as that sounds, he boxed out on rebounds, plays good defense and handles the ball against the press. James Dews takes terrible shots, and Jack McClinton turns his brain off at times. Eddie Rios is still a year away.
• The Hurricanes have a clean shot at an NCAA bid as of today. We'll break this down more tomorrow.