Injury Bug for Miami Basketball Gains Another Player Early in the Season

The Miami Hurricanes are looking to get as healthy as possible before the start of ACC play.

Dec 2, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Miami Hurricanes forward Shelton Henderson (7) dribbles during the first half against the Mississippi Rebels at The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

The Miami Hurricanes have won five of their last six games early in the 2025-26 regular season. Head coach Jai Lucas has done a great job recruiting and finding the right talent for the Hurricanes; however, that is when they get a chance to see the court.

Entering this season, the Hurricanes struggled to stay healthy. Four-star freshman Treyvon Maddox hasn't even seen the floor yet, while the rest of the team is trying to find a good footing.

Against UL Monroe, star five-star freshman Shelton Henderson went down with a lower leg injury with 1:29 left in the first half. It seems he avoided a major injury, warming up in the second half, but Lucas decided not to put him back in the game.

“We’re still kind of evaluating and seeing what it is,” Lucas said after the victory over the Warhawks. “He tried to kind of go out there and start the second half, run around a little bit, so we’ll see.'

However this is the tip of the iceberg with the injuries for the Canes.

UM is playing playoff levels with this tight rotation. Starter are playing 30-plus minutes against quad-four teams because of the lack of bodies.

Marcus Allen and Donte Allen have missed every game since the Hurricanes defeated Ole Miss on the road. Ernest Udeh Jr. has been in and out of the line all season. Noam Dovrat has a nagging shoulder injury that will keep him out of the game; Tru Washington has missed time; Tre Donaldson is powering through some little nicks; and now the Henderson injury.

The Hurricanes have the talent to be a Sweet 16 team in the NCAA Tournament, but they have to be on the floor at all times. The Hurricanes are only playing seven players a game right now, and it will either help them or hurt them.

The Hurricanes are set to face the FIU Panthers, while they try to get healthy at the right time. The Hurricanes are dominating on both sides of the ball, but the challenges from opponents will continue to increase.

“I expect a war," Lucas said. "They’re really good. [FIU head coach Jeremy] Ballard’s done a good job this year with his team construction,” Lucas said. “They play with confidence. They play free. They’re aggressive. They’re big. They got really good guards.”

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