"Gun-Shy" Miami Hurricanes Lose Second Straight Game, Gifting FSU First Conference Win
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CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The tragic weekend of Miami Hurricanes athletics continues as Miami Basketball (15-4, 4-2 ACC) drops its second straight game in conference play, this time gifting the Florida State Seminoles (8-11, 1-5 ACC) a free victory 65-63.
The Hurricanes' first-half struggles against Clemson reared against the Seminoles, and it's clear that something seems off with the squad. The Jai Lucas-led squad had another turnover problem, and it cost them another game.
In the first half, the Canes had nine turnovers, struggling to find any offense, making the team hesitant to shoot and take a few smart chances.
"We just looked gun-shy," Lucas said. "We just look like we're second-guessing and hesitant, and that's not us, and that's not who we are and who we've been. dead. And I got to figure out why, why we are that way. And once we get that plan, I'll figure out that we'll be fine."
The Canes would struggle to take shots, forcing the ball to stick in place and never get into their set actions. Defensively, the Canes continue to be sound, but late fouls always keep the Seminoles with a comfortable lead until the final seconds.
The Hurricanes battled back and forth with the Seminoles on a night that celebrated the great Jim Larranaga; it felt like one of his games from last season. The Hurricanes have plenty of chances to take a game, but they couldn't hit the shot at the right time to boost them over a team.
The Hurricanes tied the game with 7.1 seconds remaining thanks to a clear improvement in free-throw shooting; however, a last-second foul against the Noles gifted them two points, the final difference in the game.
Even with the negatives, a consistent bright spot is starting to highlight the growth and development that Lucas provides with his program. Freshman Shelton Henderson is growing into a star, something the Hurricanes desperately need.
Henderson finished with 18 points along with eight rebounds, shooting 5-8 from the field, 2-2 from three, and 6-7 from the free-throw line. He is growing into a three-level beast who is also starting to gain confidence in his shooting.
"My confidence is gonna continue to grow, and I work on it every single day," Henderson said. "So I just got to shoot them, and they're gonna fall. They when I shoot the right shots, the right."
The Hurricanes have the right mindset. The mindset in the lockerroom is to get back and respond. That is the only thing they can think to do.
"I mean, every single night, you're trying to keep perfect, but obviously, you know, again, things happening," Udeh Jr. said. "You know, this is basketball. When you play this sport, you know what to expect, night in and night out. Whether the night goes your way or not, you know what to expect.
And the biggest thing for us is just responding. The same thing, the message after Clemson, you know, just responding, the same thing after this game, responding, moving on. So we're heading into Syracuse, you, like I said before, just continuing to play our basketball, we know now the right things to do."
UM will be back on the road to face an opportunistic Syracuse Orange (12-6, 3-2 ACC) to try to get out of the funk they are in.
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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.