Quick Shots: Notre Dame (ACC Tournament)

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.

Quick Shots: Virginia Tech(ACC Tournament)

Deandre Burnett(1) attempts a layup(Photo Credit: Getty Images)

Written By: Nathan Skinner (@Canedude08)
                  Canes Rising Contributor

It wasn't pretty, it wasn't fun to watch, but when you're on the bubble survival is the only thing that matters.  Miami defeated Virginia Tech 59-49, setting up a crucial quarterfinal game against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame.  If the 'Canes beat the Irish, it's highly likely that Miami will be on the right side of the bubble.  If not, the 'Canes may be one of the first four teams left out of the field. 

Quick Shots

Sloppy 'Canes--This didn't look like a team that understood the gravity of the situation they were in.  This team is playing for a berth in the tournament, and they came out looking disinterested.  Virginia Tech only won two ACC games in the regular season, but that wasn't due to a lack of effort.  Buzz Williams is a good coach, and his teams always play hard, and it's on the opposition to match that intensity.  The 'Canes didn't match, and struggled to stay ahead of the pesky, determined Hokies. The lack of effort was evident on the defensive end, as Miami allowed a team that doesn't score to get some outstanding looks, looks that only a lazy team would allow.  Christian Beyer isn't a big player, nor is he overly talented, but that that didn't stop him from taking advantage of Miami's lousy defensive effort, scoring nine points in his final game.   Notre Dame's bigs are eons better than Beyer, and will score in bunches if Miami chooses not to defend the paint. 

Can't Buy a Bucket--Miami was unable to match Saturday's outstanding performance, shooting 35.7% from deep.  That's a drastic drop from the 60% the 'Canes shot on Saturday in Blacksburg.  It wasn't much better on the interior, as the 'Canes struggled to finish at the rim.  The Hokies weren't able to challenge most shots due to their lack of interior size, this was a case of Miami blowing layups. This is a very troubling sign, and proof that the 'Canes weren't focused on the job at hand. Virginia Tech needed some help in order to make this game competitive, and Miami's inability to score was all the help the Hokies needed.

Offensive Offense--There are pickup games at the Wellness Center that are more entertaining than the game Miami participated in Wednesday night.  Why was this game so incredibly boring? It was boring because the 'Canes were dreadful offensively.   This wasn't the team that dominated the Hokies in two previous meetings.  Defeating a team three times in a season is tough, but this wasn't a case of the Hokies playing outstanding defense, this was a case of Miami not executing.  It didn't matter who was manning the point, the 'Canes were an isolation team, ball movement was a theoretical concept. Angel Rodriguez, in his first game action since the win over FSU was the best option for the 'Canes tonight, Ja'Quan Newton and Manu Lecomte both struggled mightily.  If this is the level of effort we're going to see, Blake James might as well order the NIT banner now, because Notre Dame will feast on a one dimensional team.  The 'Canes are at their best when the ball is moving around, and players are getting free via screens and quick cuts to the basket.  Miami isn't as good when they are playing isolation basketball, and relying on one player to create off of the dribble. 

Follow The General--Sheldon McClellan once again led the 'Canes scoring a game high sixteen points. Whenever Miami needs a big shot, Sheldon is there to deliver, such as his crucial three late in the second half.  That shot stopped Tech's momentum, and allowed Miami to put together a mini-run that, in essence put the game out of reach.  McClellan also did well on the defensive end, swatting a big block late in the first half.  It's mind boggling that Sheldon was named All-ACC Honorable Mention, he has better stats than some of the other shooting guards listed ahead of him.  He continues to be the most consistent player on the roster, and as he goes, so will the 'Canes.