After Bethune-Cookman Pushed Auburn to Overtime, Jai Lucas Prepares for his First Test
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CORAL GABLES — The Miami Hurricanes are off to a great start after a dominant defensive victory over Jacksonville, 86-69, in the opening game of the season.
Now, after his first win as a head coach, Jai Lucas prepares for his first test against a great Bethune-Cookman team that just pushed No. 20 Auburn to the brink in an overtime loss.
It will become commonplace for the future of many of these "lower" level teams to close the margin between the top major teams in the country. Lucas knows this after seeing the score of the Wildcats and Tigers game after the sound victory over the Dolphins.
"You don't know who anybody is," Lucas said. "I think a lot of people right now, you don't know who your team is because everybody has so many new players."
Lucas knows the potential of the team because he tried to recruit some of the players who are now Wildcats.
"With Bethune, you know, a big part of it is like they have high major transfers, you know what I mean? Like a kid on Arterio Morris, I recruited him when I was at Texas. He's a McDonald's All-American, I believe. You know, he got into some trouble, and that's how he ended up at Bethune, but they have, I mean, he's an NBA talent."
Morris finished the game with a 20-point, 10-rebound, double-double night on the road at Auburn. He is playing at a high level along with other players, and as his history serves, Lucas has an eye for scouting.
"You know, they are in the portal," Lucas said. "You know those guys usually wouldn't be there, but they are there. So we got to adjust and be ready to compete."
Lucas is up to the task, as well as the rest of his team. They adjusted well in the second half after a disjointed performance in the first 20 minutes. Lucas's message is getting through to this team, and they are pushing forward.
The Hurricanes will return on Thursday, Nov. 7, to face off against the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Eastern at the Watsco Center.
Justice Sandle is a graduate of Mississippi State University and is the site lead for the Miami Hurricanes on SI. He can be reached at Twitter @Justice_News5.
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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.