Acaden Lewis's 24 Point No Enough To Get No. 14 Miami Over No. 1 Florida
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Entering this season, the Miami Hurricanes wanted to test themselves right off the bat against some of the best teams in the country.
They got their wish, but not in the way they expected against No. 1 Florida.
No. 14 Miami’s first benchmark test of the season saw some good and bad against one of the best teams in the country, losing by 10, 77-67, against the Gators.
The Gators' front court continues to terrorize the country, starting with Miami’s by forcing mistakes.
UF just had a different motor against the Hurricanes in the season opener, outlasting the Hurricanes battering them inside, keeping All-ACC Preseason selections Shelton Henderson and Malik Reneau out of the paint and out of the game, while the new talent for the Hurricanes shined even in the loss.
The first half saw the Canes struggle to find their offensive flow, while the Gators also found something in star player Thomas Haugh. He was a three-point-making machine, and he was the sole reason Miami failed to take a lead when opportunities presented themselves throughout the game.
Miami knew that this front court would be a problem. It could also be game-one rust, but all the returning players from last year's team played a similar brand of basketball. Putting their head down, trying to get inside the paint.
Henderson, Reneau, and Dante all all struggled from the field.
Henderson had his worst game of his career, starting and nearly finishing with a double-double, but could not make a shot at all. This was burn-the-tape footage of Henderson finishing 2-for-13 from the field and only scoring seven points.
Moreover, Reneau finished 1-6, knocking down a huge three, but would struggle to find himself in the paint against the opposing front court.
Allen would fly around all game but would find himself under many screens while the Gators rained threes and were out of control at points.
However, even with the offensive outing, Miami's defense was able to hold the Gators under 80 points while transfers Acaden Lewis and Somto Cyril showed flashes of what this team can be when they finally gel together.
This dunk by @somto_cyril 🤯🤯
— CanesMuse (@canesmuse) November 3, 2026
(via @accmbb) pic.twitter.com/gP8kPavhQM
Lewis was dynamic as a scorer, finishing with 24 points, matching his turnovers with his assists total at four, but winning his matchup against Boogie Fland.
Cyril would also battle and be a foul magnet. He would finish with 13 points, knocking down 5-6 of his free throws and grabbing seven rebounds.
Moreover, the depth would show flashes between Nick Dorn and Brent Bland, but the rest of the unit didn't see the floor or struggle. Moreover, Five-star freshman Caleb Gaskins got into foul trouble early, limiting what could have been with his shooting on the floor.
Miami would only knock down four three-pointers, going 4-for-13 from beyond the arc against the Gators. On the other hand, Florida would knock down 11 threes, out-rebound the Hurricanes 44-37, and force Miami to finish the game shooting 1-for-18.
If Miami knocks some of those shots down, it is a completely different game. UM looks to learn from those mistakes and adjust against Wagner in a late-night matchup for the first home game of the season on Friday, Nov. 6 at 9:00 p.m. ET.
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Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University earning a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Communications with a concentration in Print and Digital Journalism. During his time in Starkville, he spent a year as an intern working for Mississippi State On SI primarily covering basketball, football, baseball, and soccer while writing, recording, and creating multimedia stories during his tenor. Since graduating, he has assumed the role of lead staff writer for Miami Hurricanes On SI covering football, basketball, baseball, and all things Hurricanes related.
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