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Perspective on what Canes’ Omier is doing. And UM’s eighth-year football player steps in

A six-pack of Miami Hurricanes notes on a Monday, with the basketball team headed to the Sweet 16 and football resuming spring practice on Tuesday:

▪ It’s almost impossible to overstate the impact of Norchad Omier’s relentless motor and gift for rebounding.

Twice in three days, he set the single game NCAA Tournament school record for rebounds in a game - 14 against Drake on Friday and then 17 on Sunday against Indiana. And he did it just a week after spraining an ankle.

Through six days of the tournament, Omier is second in total rebounds with 31 (Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe had 43 rebounds) and also is second in offensive rebounds with 13 (Tshiebwe has 20).

Jim Larranaga has called him “a monster on the glass. Everybody loves playing with him.”

Former UM pitcher Javi Salas put it well on Twitter on Sunday night, noting that Omier is “the X-factor for this team. You’d never know he’s giving up 4-5 inches every night. Put the jersey in the rafters.”

Not only was the 6-7 Omier 12th in the country in rebounds per game this season (10.1), but only two players shorter than Omier averaged more: 6-6 Weber State forward Dillon Jones and 6-6 New Hampshire forward Clarence Daniels.

How impressive is it for Omier to rebound this effectively, at that size, at the highest level of the sport?

Nobody as short as Omier in a Power 5 conference averaged even 7.5 rebounds this season, and Omier averaged 10.1.

Per NCAA.org, Penn State 6-4 guard Jalen Pickett averaged 7.4, which is 118th in the country, tied with 6-7 FSU guard Matthew Cleveland and several others.

Omier is a third-year sophomore.

Houston, Friday’s opponent in the Sweet 16, ranks 17th in the country in rebounding. Cougars 6-7 forward J’Wan Roberts averages 7.9 rebounds and 6-8 forward Jarace Walker averages 6.7 boards.

▪ ESPN’s Seth Greenberg, on First Take on Monday, said UM-Houston on Friday in Kansas City (7:15 p.m, CBS) “will be an absolute rock fight. This is a physical, tough defensive team, a team that can impose their identity on the game, and you look at the Houston matchup, it’s going to be a matchup of backcourts. It’s going to be a matchup of pace. It’s going to be extremely physical. .. Jordan Miller is kind of a matchup nightmare.”

Houston is 33-3, and the Cougars’ defense poses a major challenge. They held teams to 36 percent shooting this season (best defensively in the country) and 32 percent so far in the tournament, in an 11-point win against Northern Kentucky and a 17-point win against Auburn.

They’re loaded at guard with Marcus Sasser (16.9 points per game), Jamal Shead (10.4) and Tramon Mark (10.0).

▪ ESPN’s NBA draft expert Jonathan Givony prepared a mock draft strictly using players participating in the NCAA Tournament. He had UM’s Jordan Miller going 52nd and Isaiah Wong 57th. So the Canes are accomplishing this without a likely first-round pick.

▪ UM tight end and Oregon transfer Cam McCormick, in his eighth (eighth!) year of college football, took a lot of first-team snaps in the first week of spring practice, as Elijah Arroyo is still working his way back from injury.

McCormick, who played for Mario Cristobal at Oregon, is a very good run blocker, something that was needed in the tight end room. PFF rated him 39th among 451 tight ends as a run blocker last season.

He had 18 career receptions, but four went for touchdowns.

The NCAA granted him a ninth year of eligibility, meaning he can play at UM in 2023 and 2024 if he chooses. He told reporters last December that he couldn’t “imagine” using all nine years of eligibility, but that was before he transferred to UM.

He has missed parts or all of five seasons due to various medical issues, including rhabdomyolysis, a broken ankle that required multiple surgeries and a torn ACL.

▪ A non-UM coach involved in quarterback recruiting reiterated that Miami has a good shot to land Fairburn, Ga.-based Air Norland, rated by Rivals as the 11th best pro style quarterback in the 2024 class.

247 Sports rated him the 10th best quarterback and 117th best prospect overall in the 2024 class.

He visited UM once last year, attended a Canes home game last season and plans to visit again this week, per 247 Sports.

He’s a believer in new offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and told Inside The U that UM’s offense “will be one of the most explosive offenses in the country.”

Noland, 6-3, threw 55 touchdowns and just four interceptions last season. He has 8,024 passing yards and 104 touchdown passes in three seasons.

Ohio State, Auburn, Clemson and Texas A&M are among his other suitors.

▪ Quick stuff: Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel, Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, former UM and NFL tight and Fox broadcaster Greg Olsen and longtime NFL special teams coach Darren Rizzi are among those speaking at Cristobal’s coaching clinic on Friday and Saturday…

Two Monday Canes/NFL transactions: Former UM safety Jaquan Johnson left Buffalo in free agency and agreed to terms with the Las Vegas Raiders... Former UM guard Jon Feliciano, who stated 15 games for the Giants last season, is signing with the 49ers, per Newsday’s Kim Jones.