Points of Emphasis: Louisville vs. Miami
(Photo of Dejan Vasiljevec, Samuell Williamson: Jasen Vinlove/USA TODAY Sports)
CORAL GABLES, Fla. - Powered by double-doubles from Carlik Jones & Samuell Williamson, Louisville was able to extend their undefeated run in conference play, winning 77-65 over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. Next up for the Cardinals, they will embark on the second half of their two-game road trip and face the Miami Hurricanes. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 16 at 8:00 p.m. EST on the ACC Network.
Here are a couple of the more significant storylines to follow ahead of Cardinals' matchup with the Hurricanes:
Clipped Canes:
If Louisville fans thought they had it bad with the injury bug, Miami has had it far worse. In fact, it's impossible to tell the story of their 2020-21 season thus far without first beginning with the plethora of injuries they have suffered.
The Canes' four returning senior starters: Preseason All-ACC First Team selection guard Chris Lykes, guard Kameron McGusty, forward Sam Waardenberg and Center Rodner Miller Jr. have totaled just eight outings, out of a possible 44, in which they were available from start to finish.
Lykes sprained his left ankle against Stetson on Dec. 4 and has yet to return, McGusty injured his hamstring against FGCU on Dec. 12 and has missed six of the next seven games, Waardenberg suffered a preseason foot injury and is out for the year, and Miller Jr. is also gone for the season with a knee injury after playing in just five games.
Remember when Louisville had just eight scholarship player available vs. Wisconsin due to various injuries? Things have been so bad for Miami, that for their ACC opener against Pitt, they had just seven.
Rough Start:
In the preseason, Miami was picked to finish seventh in the ACC, which is around the middle of the pack. As you can imagine with the myriad of injuries, the Hurricanes have struggled mightily at times.
After winning their first three games of the season, including against a decent Purdue team at home, the Canes have now won just two of their last eight games.
Miami went 4-1 in non-conference games, but that lone loss came against Florida Gulf Coast, who is ranked as the No. 232 team in D1 according to KenPom. The Canes are just 1-5 in ACC play, including double-digits losses to Pitt and Boston College.
Their offense has suffered the most, as they sport the 109th ranked offense in Division I. They're shooting just 43.1% from the field and 26.8% on three-point attempts, and turn the ball over on 20.4% of their offensive possessions.
Defensively, they're still on the brink of being ranked in the top 50, but suffer in one very crucial area: defending the three-pointer. The Canes are allowing their opponent to connect on 37.5% of their threes. In fact, 44.9% of all their opponents' points have come via the long ball, which is the fourth-highest rate in the nation. For context, the D1 average is 30.8%.
Stepping Up:
If there has been any sort of bright spot for Miami so far in their injury-plagued season, it has been how Isaiah Wong has stepped up form his freshman year to his sophomore year.
After averaging 7.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists a season ago, the guard is now up to 16.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists. He is one of just two Canes, alongside Nysier Brooks, to start in all 11 games this season.
He has struggled a touch to connect on his threes, as he's shooting just 28.0%, but he is shooting 57.3% inside the arc for an overall field goal percentage of 45.6%. He has also been adept at drawing contact and getting to the free throw line, as he is fourth in the ACC in free throw attempts and second in makes.
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