Yahoo Movies Miami Hurricanes must stop Cornell’s hot-handed three-point shooters on Wednesday
The Miami Hurricanes are 8-1 and on the cusp of the AP Top 25, so voters will be watching to see how they do in back-to-back home games against Cornell on Wednesday and North Carolina State on Saturday.
Neither game will be easy.
Cornell poses serious challenges. The Big Red is 7-1 and ranked in the top five nationally in several categories, including second in three-pointers attempted with 31.6 per game and third in three-pointers made (11.9), second in fast break points with 23.4, and third in assists per game with 20. The team averages 82.6 points per game, which ranks 25th.
It was clear from Cornell’s season-opening 114-57 win over SUNY Delhi that this is a team that likes to play fast and can score from distance. In that game, the Big Red made a school-record 23 three-pointers and combined for 31 assists, which was second in school history.
The Hurricanes, meanwhile, are coming off an 80-53 road win over winless Louisville (0-8) in their Atlantic Coast Conference opener.
In that game, 11 Hurricanes scored, with each one posting between three and 14 points in a balanced attack. Jordan Miller went 6 of 10 for 14 points, Norchad Omier had 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and Isaiah Wong added 10 points.
Miami has been so balanced in its offense this season that it has no player ranked in the top 20 among ACC scorers. Miller is ranked 22nd with 13.8 points per game, Omier is ranked 23rd at 13.7 points, and Wong is 24th at 13.3. Nijel Pack (11.8 ppg) also averages double figures.
“I like the way we shared the ball, and I like the way our bench came in and really helped us,” UM coach Jim Larranaga said after the win at Louisville. “When your bench plays well, it normally means you’re going to have a good game. This afternoon, our bench outscored the opponent 30-15. Thirty points off of our bench is definitely a season high and might be the highest bench point total for quite some time.”
The lopsided score gave Larranaga a chance to give his freshmen significant minutes.
“I thought AJ Casey did a terrific job,” the coach said. “I think Favour [Aire] saw what we see in practice where he fouls a lot. He had four fouls in about seven minutes of playing time. I thought Christian Watson did a nice job and made a three-pointer, made a good pass for a layup, played some good defense and got a terrific traffic rebound.”
The game against Cornell tips off at 7 p.m. NC State (7-2) is at the Watsco Center next at 2 p.m. Saturday. The Wolfpack has five players averaging double figures, led by Terquavion Smith with 15 points and 5.2 assists per game.
